


Advanced Release

by DAsObiQuiet



Category: Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII, Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bad Parenting, Because Hojo is terrible, Creepy Hojo (Compilation of FFVII), Crisis Core (Compilation of FFVII) Spoilers, Crisis Core Era (Compilation of FFVII), Down With Jenova, Down With Shinra, F/M, Friendship, Gen, Hojo's bad parenting, Jenova Project (Compilation of FFVII), Kind of..., Mentor/Protégé, Mentors, Mystery, Plans For The Future, Playing fic, Project G (Compilation of FFVII), Project S (Compilation of FFVII), Read, Read it/Play it, Reading, Reveal, SOLDIER - Freeform, Secrets, Secrets Revealed, Soldiers, Strife Delivery, Strife Delivery Time Travel Strikes Again, Teenage Rebellion, Uncover, change the future, ffVII - Freeform, play their own game, read their own story, watch their own series
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:09:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 108,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23994286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DAsObiQuiet/pseuds/DAsObiQuiet
Summary: Sephiroth found the package in his mail when he entered his office that morning.Which was strange, because he normally didn’t get mail. Well, not personal mail. Or, at least, he never got to see it. Shinra screening tended to be rather thorough after all.To his surprise, the package held a... video game of all things. Final Fantasy VII? Huh. Useless waste of time... that Hojo would absolutely not approve of... perhaps just this once...
Relationships: Angeal Hewley & Cloud Strife, Angeal Hewley & Genesis Rhapsodos & Sephiroth, Genesis Rhapsodos & Cloud Strife, Sephiroth & Aerith Gainsborough, Sephiroth & Cloud Strife, Zack Fair & Angeal Hewley, Zack Fair & Cloud Strife, Zack Fair & Sephiroth, Zack Fair/Aerith Gainsborough
Comments: 512
Kudos: 888
Collections: Works That Will Not Leave You Alone





	1. The Beginning

_November 1999 – 3 years before Nebilhiem Incident_

Sephiroth found the package in his mail when he entered his office that morning.

Which was strange, because he normally didn't _get_ mail. Well, not personal mail. Or, at least, he never got to _see_ it. Packages normally got stopped before it ever reached him. He didn't have bills (ShinRa paid for his general living expenses) or the 'junkmail' that he'd heard some of his men complain about, and what else would ever come to him? Anyone who had ever been remotely close to him currently resided in the ShinRa building, so that couldn't be it. The package got past security, so it couldn't be dangerous… but what could it be?

He went to open the package, but hesitated. As he'd never gotten mail before, he didn't know if there was some kind of… ritual. He'd seemed to miss out on those more than he realized lately. According to Angeal and Genesis, inane promotions and first time occurrences were supposed to be celebrated. He still didn't understand why. He wondered if he should just open it and not tell them, but, to be honest, he tended to like those little celebrations. Usually it was just going out to a bar and ordering a couple of drinks that wouldn't actually do anything to his internal system, but it made for good (if sometimes annoying) company and good memories, and Gaia knew he had precious few of those.

Finally, he decided to set the package aside for now and it sat there, innocently, on the side of his desk for the rest of the day. He took it back to his apartment before heading to meet with Genesis and Angeal for some sparring practice.

It was waiting for him when they returned that evening.

He stopped as he walked into his apartment, having forgotten all about it. Right.

"Genesis, Angeal," he called out to them. They paused and looked back at him over their shoulders. "I… may require your assistance."

The red-haired commander rolled his eyes. "Oh, pray tell, what does the great General Sephiroth need from such lowly—"

He cut off when an elbow found itself conveniently buried in his ribs, courtesy of a grinning Angeal.

"What do you need, Sephiroth?"

The General walked into his apartment and returned with the small package in his hand. "I… received mail."

The other two stared at him in open astonishment.

"You got mail?" Genesis asked. "Mr. I-have-the-company-scan-and-reply-to-everything got mail?"

Sephiroth hesitated. "Yes."

"What is it?" Angeal asked, walking forward and studying the little package intently.

"I have not unwrapped it."

Silence. Then, from Genesis: "Whyever not?"

Sephiroth frowned. "It is my first piece of mail. Is there a… celebration ritual?"

More silence.

Then a snort from the red-head that sounded suspiciously like a laugh.

"If you'd like," Angeal said.

" _Infinite in mystery is the Gift of the Goddess! We seek it thus_ _and_ _take to the sky_!" Genesis said. Both of his friends shot him dry looks. "Oh, for… open it!" Genesis responded in a huff.

"It could be dangerous," the largest of the three SOLDIERS protested.*

The Silver General shook his head. "No, it was scanned by security, and I sense nothing from it."

Genesis shot Angeal a triumphant grin.

The dark-haired man shrugged. "Then I agree. Open it."

Sephiroth nodded and looked down at the brown paper wrapping. Honestly, he should have just done so when he'd first received it, but the thought had felt… wrong, somehow. Especially seeing as it had been specifically addressed as personal, not anything to do with his job of helping Lazard run SOLDIER, and it had no return address.

He may not have ever _gotten_ mail, but he knew how the system should work and the abnormality (involving an event that rarely happened to begin with) must have thrown him. He could hear Hojo's voice in the back of his mind berating him for entertaining such silly notions and pushed his (admittedly mild) unease aside, ripping the paper open gently, and then popping up the lid of the thin box beneath.

Out fell a square container.

"Is that a… game?" Genesis asked. "Infinite in mystery indeed."

"A… game?" Sephiroth repeated, confused. He turned the container over and read the title he found aloud. " _Final Fantasy VII_ … How is this a game?" True, games could be programs, but he had been under the impression that they were situational awareness exercises, usually dealing with competition (he won every time he participated). He supposed that the container could hold a program he could somehow insert into the interface of the VR room, but then why send it to him? He frowned as he opened the case and saw two reflective discs, one fixed in either side. Further inspection produced a third disk in a back pocket.

"It's a video game," Angeal said with a firm nod. "I've seen them played a couple of times, and Zack talks about them all the time."

Genesis rolled his eyes. "Of course, since the Puppy knows all about it… _All that awaits you is a somber morrow_."

Sephiroth found himself inclined to agree. He'd heard of these 'video games', but had never really seen one played. Truthfully, until Genesis and Angeal had come along, he hadn't really understood the idea of 'play' in general. Some of the nuances still escaped him, he suspected, because he saw little point in such frivolous activities. And yet, everyone else seemed inclined to participate in their various preferred forms of 'play'.

Hojo had always disapproved of such… which was where the General had gotten the idea that 'play' was useless and only for plebeians unable to reach any great heights of success. (Apparently, President ShinRa – and the rest of the board – were exceptions? Not that he wanted to be like any of them...)

For that thought alone, he contemplated throwing his normal sensibilities to the wind and actually playing the game. He had to admit, he was curious to see what all the fuss was about. While he didn't care to lose, he also didn't _like_ the solitude his aptitude in everything he participated in tended to result in.

"I think he has a station we can play this on," Angeal said, ignoring Genesis through long years of practice. Sephiroth blinked and thought back, realizing his friend was referring to his 'Puppy' again. "I'm curious as to why they would send this to you, of all people. Does it have a return address?"

Sephiroth frowned. "No." He felt a small amount of relief that he was not the only one who did not see how anyone could think this would be a suitable gift for him. He wasn't exactly known for wasting time. And yet...

"I will admit to some curiosity as well," Genesis spoke, interrupting his thoughts. "Well, you did want a celebration. If you wish to figure this out, then why not try tomorrow? As for tonight, _t_ _he wandering soul knows no rest_."

Angeal nodded as he studied the disks. "I can talk to Zack tomorrow, if you'd like. I'm sure he'll let me use his station. We can set it up in your room, Sephiroth."

Well, he did have tomorrow off (how convenient) and Hojo was out of town on some errand or another, so he'd actually _have_ time…

And they could always stop if it proved to be less than enlightening (which, he highly suspected it would be).

"Very well."

"Seriously?" Genesis asked, slightly taken back.

"Tomorrow is my day off."

"And I heard from Prof. Hollander that Hojo's gone," Angeal muttered, nodding. "I have a few responsibilities tomorrow, but I'm sure I could get done a little early, if you're willing to wait a little. I'd very much like to see this."

Sephiroth didn't see much of a problem with that, so he nodded. Then he turned to Genesis.

"Oh, I will be there, if only to record the great General playing a _video game,_ of all things."

Said General shook his head. "Very well. We shall meet tomorrow, say 1100 hours?"

The other two nodded, and then they all bid each other good night.

xXx

Sephiroth woke to his alarm and went about his usual morning routine. Then he went to the gym to work out, stopped by the office (despite it being his day off) and tidied up a bit and did a little paperwork before heading back to his room.

Not five minutes after he returned, he heard a knock on the door and went to answer it. Angeal stood outside, one arm full of all sorts of bags and bright-colored packages and the other holding an open, cardboard box full of wires under it.

"What… are those?" he asked, gesturing to the various packages.

"Snacks."

"You have been around your protege too long," Genesis said as he came up behind his friend, holding two thin, square boxes. "You're lucky I like you. Here's your pizza. I know for a fact Sephiroth has a small oven he never uses."

Sephiroth stared at them some more because…

"I've never had pizza… or snacks." They had always been denied him thanks to Hojo's strict dietary rules – rules he'd never really seen the point of deviating from.

"Good thing your 'master' isn't here, then," Genesis declared as he walked in, making Sephiroth step to the side and scowl. " _There is no hate, only joy, for you are beloved by the Goddess._ "

Well, Hojo was gone… although, he figured that if he was beloved by the Goddess, he wouldn't have ended up in Hojo's clutches to begin with.

"Zack did… recommend these to me," Angeal said, a little sheepishly. "Apparently it's what friends do when they get together. I asked him because it's… been a while for me."

Sephiroth stepped to the side as Angeal followed Genesis. "I do not understand. Did you not participate in… 'get togethers' as a child?"

"It was usually only Gen and me, but mom fed more or less anyone who came in. I didn't know friends were supposed to actually plan things like this until just before we left for ShinRa."

"Sometimes I wonder if I am the only one who isn't still sheltered," Genesis grumbled, setting the pizza boxes on the table in front of the large screen Sephiroth rarely used. Sephiroth supposed they could 'bake' them later, when it would be closer to a meal time. He normally took lunch around 1300 hours anyway.

After dumping the packages and cans on the table as well, Angeal took out the game box and began to set it up. When he couldn't seem to get the hang of it, Genesis tried to help. Emphasis on the word 'tried'. Sephiroth himself got up to help them and finally, _finally_ they got the game station set up, set on the correct channel and turned on. The whole process seemed unnecessarily complicated.

Sephiroth slipped the game disk marked #1 in and they all sat down on the couch.

It opened to a scene of stars.

Genesis didn't look impressed. "Please, such a cliché opening." Sephiroth and Angeal exchanged knowing glances. The scene faded to a stylized image of a girl with brown hair and the faint glow of green lighting her features. A couple of seconds later…

"Is that a mako vent?" Angeal asked.

"It would appear so," Sephiroth said.

"So this game takes place in Midgar?" Genesis mused.

The girl, who they could see, now carried a basket as she walked down the street, stopped as a car rushed by.

Genesis gasped as the camera zoomed out, showing the buildings around the girl. "Loveless?!" Sephiroth noted the posters advertising the play on the buildings behind the girl. "It seems I may have misjudged the game if they continue to show that sort of good taste."

"Tone down the theatrics, please," Sephiroth muttered, wondering why he'd agreed to this. It had seemed like a good idea yesterday… and then he remembered that Hojo would definitely not approve. Right, that was why. Perhaps he needed to rethink his methods if this was the worst thing he felt he could do to rebel…

" _My friend, the fates are cruel! There are no dreams, no honor remains_ ," the red-head replied dramatically. Both of his companions ignored him, focusing on the game, and thus didn't see him scowl at their lack of reaction.

"Is that a mako reactor?" Angeal asked. "These graphics aren't the greatest so I'm not entirely sure."

"If this is a new game, why are the graphics so old?'" Genesis spoke, frowning.

"Well, if they didn't have ShinRa backing them, this is actually pretty good," the dark-haired soldier pointed out.

On screen, a train pulled into a station and several people jumped off or out of it.

"They seem to be…" Angeal started, then faded off and all three exchange glances. "Is this about terrorists attacking a reactor?"

They watched further as Sephiroth moved the main character forward.

"It would appear so."

"AVALANCHE?" Angeal asked when the characters introduced themselves. "This is about a cell of Eco-terrorists?"

"And a SOLDIER is a part of it?" Genesis couldn't help but look on in disgust and scoff. "I take back my comment on 'taste'."

"Former SOLDIER," Sephiroth corrected, but he still frowned.

"He quit?" Angeal asked. "You don't just quit…" he faded off and looked away. Genesis and Sephiroth may or may not have stiffened. They didn't talk about such things. People who did discuss subjects like that tended to vanish.

They sat there for several seconds without the main character moving. Sephiroth thought about the whole situation and wondered if, perhaps, he should stop this. But then, he realized this could be an opportunity. If the game was put out by an anti-ShinRa group, then perhaps they could get a better glance into their mind-set by playing it. He'd have to report on it, but they would undoubtedly ask for his opinion on it, and he wanted to be able to give one.

"Apparently this one quit," Genesis muttered. "Whoever made this game can dream, after all."

"Shall we continue on, then?" Angeal asked, frowning.

"Oh, yes, by all means, continue to break into ShinRa property with the intent to destroy it," the red-head stated dryly.

After a few more hesitant seconds, they continued to play through.

A couple of interactions later, it asked them to name the character.

"Choose a name… 'Cloud'?" Sephiroth asked, then looked to his friends. "Should I change it?"

Genesis shrugged. "It's a ridiculous name for a ridiculous character."

Angeal didn't answer. Sephiroth thought about it for a moment, then decided to stick with the generated name and they moved on.

"He's not a very polite character," Angeal muttered.

"Neither is that larger man," Genesis pointed out.

"Barrett?" Sephiroth asked as the command to name him came up as well.

He got more shrugs and silence, so he kept the name. What would he change it to? Genesis? Somehow, he didn't think that would go over well.

The characters continued into the building, Sephiroth finally beginning to feel comfortable moving the figures on screen around. He didn't understand why people found this so compelling… but it wasn't unpleasant either, he supposed.

"That is a reactor!" Angeal stated, almost sounding offended.

"How is this game even around?" Genesis asked. "It should have been pulled from shelves the moment it came out."

"And they're going to detonate explosives…" the dark-haired soldier said. More uneasy glances shared between them. Then Sephiroth paused the game.

"I agree with Genesis," Sephiroth said softly. "This should not have been distributed due to it's negative influence on the general populace towards the company. Perhaps we should stop?" After all, if they had issues with this, he could simply play it on his own for the report.

He could tell that Angeal wasn't happy about the suggestion, although Sephiroth had no idea what to do about that fact – shouldn't he be relieved?

He couldn't read Genesis.

"We should probably find out how far this goes and what kinds of influences it encourages," Angeal finally said slowly.

Sephiroth thought about that for a moment before nodding. "You have a valid point." He wouldn't tell them he'd come to the same conclusion earlier.

"Then, by all means, let us continue," Genesis said with an eye-roll. "Isn't this something normal teenagers are supposed to do?"

"I wouldn't know," Sephiroth responded. "And we aren't teenagers."

"We were never allowed to be," the red-head muttered bitterly.

Silence before Angeal snorted, obviously trying to lighten the mood. "I don't think any of us would know what a 'normal' teenager – or person in their twenties – would do on their day off. I have to admit, I was looking forward to trying to have a 'normal' day."

Neither Sephiroth or Genesis responded to that. The Silver General, however, could agree and understand, even if he'd never say so aloud. He'd been curious himself. He still was, even if he really _shouldn't_ be...

So he reached down and picked the controller back up, unpausing the game.

They watched as Barrett turned around and started talking to Cloud about how Mako is the lifeblood of the planet.

Sephiroth had heard of such things, but it had never been substantiated as far as he knew. That didn't mean a great deal with how ShinRa tended to cover up their… problems. He held to the idea that it was more myth than anything else, but liked to think he kept an open mind.

It didn't matter anyway. Even if he did believe such things, it wouldn't stop the fact that he worked for ShinRa. He went on their missions and did their jobs and that was that. Personal belief had nothing to do with it.

They continued down to the reactor core, fighting monster battles every so often.

"There aren't this many monsters in actual reactors," Genesis said, annoyed.

"To be fair, some of them are defenses," Angeal pointed out, although he also had a frown on his face.

"If those are defenses, then clearly ShinRa needs to improve on their security. Otherwise, _All that awaits you is a somber morrow_."

Sephiroth ignored him while Angeal groaned just as Sephiroth finished the fight with the large-scale machine that was obviously the biggest fight of the level.

Angeal frowned again. "When they win, and Cloud swings his sword around… that's familiar."

"Maybe you know someone who does that?" Genesis suggested, sounding bored.

"And his sword looks a lot like my Buster."

"Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. _Wings of light and dark spread afar._ "

"Hmm…" Angeal said.

"They would have to get their ideas for a SOLDIER character from available examples," Sephiroth pointed out.

Angeal sighed. "True. Just keep playing for now."

They fell into silence as Cloud moved on, getting out of the reactor just in time and the AVALANCHE group split up.

"Sector 8, huh?" Genesis asked. "I wonder if AVALANCHE is there now, as we speak."

"Doubtful," Sephiroth replied, his eyes never leaving the screen. "Such things on a mere game must be speculation…" he faded off as he realized that Genesis had sighed dramatically and Angeal was shaking his head with a smile on his face as he looked at the General. He'd missed something again… had Genesis meant the question as a rhetorical one?

"Oh, Loveless again!" Genesis said, perking up and drawing Sephiroth's attention back to the screen. Then the Commander frowned. "I've not seen a poster for that production."

Angeal shrugged. "It must be something they made up for the game."

"Pity."

They watched for a couple more seconds and Angeal let out a displeased huff. "Who would knock a girl to the ground and then leave her behind?"

"Apparently Midgar brutes in a panic," Genesis responded drolly.

Of course, she came up to the main character, asking what happened. Sephiroth picked the first option that came up as a choice after that, as it was the most logical, placating the girl and asking her to leave.

"Why did you pick that?" Genesis asked.

"Because it was true. She should leave."

For some reason Genesis seemed to despair at that. All in all, Sephiroth didn't think the meeting with the girl was that important and were it a real situation, would be glad she'd move on quickly.

The next few minutes were filled with nothing but fighting ShinRa grunts and then a train ride with a lot of conversation and Barrett going on about how the plate affects the slums.

"He makes some good points," Angeal muttered, looking troubled. Whether that was because he lived above plate and was part of the 'problem' or because he didn't like agreeing with a fictional terrorist, Sephiroth didn't know.

"It's nothing we didn't already know," Genesis responded, sounding bored again. "And that man is either brave or stupid to state such things in public."

Because people who spoke out against ShinRa either disappeared or ended up dead. From mysterious causes, of course. Sephiroth agreed with the commander and leaned towards the 'stupid' classification.

They watched the people come from the train and talk about meeting back up at 'the hideout'. Then they went back to play mode and Sephiroth couldn't help but be a little confused.

"How am I supposed to know where to go?"

"It's part of the game," Angeal said. "You'll likely know where to go if you just follow the other characters."

The General frowned. "That seems… highly illogical. Anyone could simply follow them at that point." He wasn't sure he much cared for this whole 'video game' experience. Although he'd continue playing it simply to finish his report (and to spite Hojo… despite the fact that the man would never actually know about all of this if Sephiroth had his way).

"It's part of how the game plays, I think," Angeal said. "I have actually seen a few games played, and I think it's just difficult to keep the game going without leading the player on."

Well, Sephiroth supposed he could understand that, but it was still bothersome and annoying. Still, he mentally shrugged and continued to play, wandering through the slums and fighting monsters.

"Do the slums really look that bad?" Genesis asked, sounding a little disgusted.

Angeal turned to him. "You've never been down there?" The commander shook his head. "Not even for a mission?"

"I'm rather good at dodging those. They need my expertise elsewhere."

Like the war. All of them had been on the front lines more than once, usually switching out so the others could lead. There had been a lull in the fighting recently which was why all of them currently resided in Midgar. Unfortunately, none of them expected it to last long.

At some point, Genesis reached over and grabbed one of the bags of treats, tearing it open and popping some into his mouth. Angeal gestured for the bag and his friend handed it over. He then offered some to Sephiroth who paused and regarded it strangely. Then, ever so cautiously, he reached inside and took one of the misshapen chips out, then put it to his lips and snapped the tip off.

It was unlike anything he'd ever tasted before, although he wasn't sure if he actually _liked_ it… but he didn't think he hated it either. He popped the rest of it into his mouth and reached for another. Angeal smiled at him as if he'd just finished an impossible task and set the bag between them.

"I want those back," Genesis grumbled.

Angeal rolled his eyes before taking a handful of the treats and plopping them on Genesis' lap. Sephiroth felt the corner of his mouth tick up a little as the commander sputtered indignantly.

Then Sephiroth went back to playing the game, ignoring his friends' little argument as best he could. Fortunately, the next scene came to a cluster of buildings and they watched as Barret threw people out of one of the establishments.

"Did he just fire his gun to get everyone to leave?" Angeal asked, sounding affronted.

Genesis snorted, amused.

"What does he mean by meeting the main character's 'baby'?" he asked. To his annoyance, the other two shrugged.

"I suppose we'll find out," Genesis muttered.

"He won't let me past," Sephiroth said, frowning.

"Talk to him again?" Angeal suggested.

The Silver General didn't see much of a point in that, but conceded and blinked when it worked, the man moving aside.

"This game is… illogical."

Genesis snorted. " _Infinite in mystery is the gift of the Goddess_."

Angeal nodded. "Most people are inconsistent," he pointed out, likely translating for Genesis. "And I'm sure it can be difficult to program realistic reactions in games. As Zack would say, 'cut them some slack.'"

"Very well," Sephiroth replied, wondering why he feel annoyed at the strange inconsistencies in the game. After all, the game didn't really matter in the grand scheme of things. It was just a way for them to pass the time… and subtly defy those above them… and learn about people who supported Eco-terrorists...

He moved Cloud inside the establishment.

"Oh, there's a girl," Genesis commented as the scene played out.

"I wonder how old she's supposed to be," Angeal mused.

"I was talking about the other one."

"The one with the long hair?" Sephiroth asked as he picked another seemingly innocuous answer that popped upon the screen. Why could the game not just let him choose to remain silent? That was what he tended to do in most given situations dealing with inane circumstances.

"Obviously. She must be the love interest, since she knows about the main character. Probably a child-hood friend."

It really was a wonder that Genesis could put so much disdain into one throw-away comment. Did he not approve? It wasn't something Sephiroth had ever really understood… relationships in general. He didn't see the point of a romantic partner. They only created weaknesses in his mind. It didn't seem to be worth the trouble.

Then again, he'd used to think that way about friends...

Eventually everyone else in the game went below, jumping into a disguised hole on the side.

"Not a bad cover for a secret base," Angeal mused.

Genesis scoffed. "It's beyond obvious."

"I think that just might be the game graphics." The Commander didn't look convinced. Sephiroth wasn't entirely either.

He followed the team below and Barrett asked if anyone from SOLDIER had been at the reactor. All three of the SOLDIERS watching the game scoffed. Cloud confirmed that if someone from SOLDIER had been there, everyone would be dead.

"Well, he has potential if he knows and can acknowledge that," Angeal commented.

Genesis snorted again.

Cloud reiterated that he used to be in SOLDIER, and that he was more or less only a mercenary now. That… seemed like a step down to Sephiroth. The President wouldn't like someone leaving SOLDIER anyway, so the Turks would have put a stop to that. He wondered if the makers of the game had actually done their research. Would any of them appear in the game?

"Well, at least he isn't stupid enough to actually join a terrorist group," Genesis said as Cloud left. Then Tifa came up after him, they spoke of a promise, there were more inane choices, and then they were on a water tower in an obvious memory.

"Does the boy have memory problems?" Genesis asked sardonically.

Of course, then the boy stated that he would join SOLDIER like his hero Sephiroth.

Well, that answered that question at least. The General couldn't help but feel a little proud of himself for being able to inspire someone… even if that was mainly the ShinRa HR department. It was still flattering.

"Oh, look. It's the inspirational general recruiting all the grunts again," Genesis said, sounding flat this time. Well, there went that positive emotion. Ah, well. They were useless distraction ayway.

Angeal thrust his elbow into the other man's ribs. "He was the last one in Wutai, and he had some major victories over there. That's part of the reason why they asked for a cease fire and are considering negotiations."

"Negotiations the President will not agree to," Genesis commented, rubbing his side.

No one had anything to say to that.

In the game, Cloud promised to come back for Tifa if she was ever in trouble.

"Oh, the damsel in distress," Genesis said with a roll of his eyes. "How droll."

Then they returned to the 'current day', and Barrett came up and paid Cloud, who said he'd do the next job for double.

"I take it back, he's an idiot," Genesis muttered. "3000 is a pittance for jobs like these."

"And yet, he still accepted," Sephiroth said, shaking his head, in complete agreement with Genesis. It seemed they tended to have similar opinions about characters in any case.

The next day, in the game, Cloud got off of the basement floor in the corner. Sephiroth had slept in worse places, so he accepted it and moved on. Then, yet another pointless question came up in regards to Cloud's childhood friend.

" _There is no hate, only joy! For you are beloved by the Goddess._ "

Sephiroth paused and turned to his friend, one eyebrow raised.

"Oh, flirt with her!" Genesis urged, exasperated.

Sephiroth blinked over at him. "What?" He wasn't sure which answer to pic regarding the question that had popped up… whether he slept well or not. How would he know if Barrett snored? And he obviously hadn't slept next to Tifa…

"Just pick the second option," Genesis snapped.

Well, it wasn't as if it really mattered, so he did. She responded that she didn't know what he meant. Which was more or less exactly what he'd expected of her.

Then Barrett came up (where had he been when they'd been down there before?) and they spoke of attacking the Sector 5 reactor. Again, the three SOLDIERS exchanged glances and continued playing.

This would all be going in the report, Sephiroth concluded, and played on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited so there's an end note, hopefully this won't show up on EVERY SINGLE CHAPTER because they can't seem to fix the glitch that does that... I'm not bitter that I can't fix that on my other stories. I'm not. 
> 
> *I know there were mistranslations of everyone's height, so for the purposes of this fic, Angeal is the same height as Sephiroth, but bulkier, so thus the 'largest' of the group, Genesis is the shortest, Zack is smack in the middle of them and Sephiroth still has a sword that is WAY too long to weild, let alone draw. Just saying.
> 
> SO! I don't normally like 'read it/play it' fics, so this is a bit of an experiment. Criticism is welcome (encouraged even).
> 
> Also, I cannot guarantee when I will update this fic. I have some things planned/written already, but I'm also in the middle of a huge webtoon contest that is SUCKING AWAY MY LIFE! *ahem* *shifting eyes* In any case, if you want to support that, go to Webtoons, search (top right corner, magnifying glass) for HACamp (My Author name on there) and then click on 'Hope for Scars'. Please rate it according to how you like it or how good you think it is! Thank you!
> 
> https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/hope-for-scars-h/list?title_no=430254


	2. Sector 5 Reactor and Meeting Aeris

Genesis called what happened for the next half hour in the game 'shenanigans'. Sephiroth agreed with the sentiment. Firstly, the characters got onto the train, but the security almost caught them. Then they had to jump from said speeding train and wander through the depths of the plate, fighting more monsters and solving more puzzles that seemed rather pointless (and rather unrealistic) to Sephiroth.

Although they were rather pleasantly surprised when it turned out that Tifa could fight, and they found out how limit breaks worked in the game, and how magic tended to work as well. Genesis scoffed at the simplistic way they presented materia, but nothing else of note really happened.

Eventually Sephiroth got Cloud to the sector 5 reactor.

"Does the venting actually lead into their destination?" Genesis asked, almost incredulous, as Cloud slid down and into what indeed looked like a reactor. "There cannot possibly be any way a reactor would have that kind of flaw in its security."

The other two SOLDIERS agreed. Sephiroth saw it as a positive, though. If anyone who played the game thought the sector 5 reactor had such flaws in it and tried to break in, they'd be sorely disappointed. That was the kind of misinformation he did not mind getting out.

The various members of the party were poisoned throughout the next fights and the spectators had to endure Genesis commenting about how such statuses didn't go away simply because the fight ended. Both Sephiroth and Angeal nodded in agreement as they played on.

Then they got to the heart of the reactor and a high-pitched noise that made all of the SOLDIER firsts, with their enhanced hearing, flinch a little.

"What was that?" Angeal asked.

"I believe Cloud is having a… flashback," Sephiroth said, frowning as they saw the camera pan to a girl next to a body, with…

"Is that Masamune on the ground in back of her?" the dark-haired SOLDIER asked, eyebrows raising in surprise.

"And it's Tifa… perhaps a childhood memory?" Genesis said.

"Why did they mention me?" Sephiroth asked. For some reason, he had an uneasy feeling about this. "Why would I hurt anyone, unless they were also terrorists?"

But he didn't get that sense from this scene…

"If you did kill her father, it would explain why she hated ShinRa," Angeal pointed out, shifting uneasily and putting the second bag of sweet candy he'd been slowly devouring back on the table, as if he wasn't hungry anymore.

Sephiroth shot him an unimpressed look.

"Wait, did she just pick up Masamune?" Angeal asked, sounding incredulous. Sephiroth agreed. It had taken him a great deal of practice to get to where he could even use the sword proficiently, let alone master it. Odachis weren't simple or easy to wield due to their length. Masamune took that to an extreme.

Then the flashback ended and AVALANCHE set the explosives, although there didn't seem to be a timer this time, and the game wouldn't let Cloud exit the way they'd come in, which seemed like a better option to Sephiroth than just taking the main entrance, but even logic must give way to physics. It may not have been plausible to waste time climbing up the pipe that had acted as a slide.

It took Sephiroth almost five minutes of trying to push the 'buttons' at the same time as the other characters to open the doors leading out of the reactor. Genesis almost ended up in fits and even Angeal snickered. Sephiroth decided that he wanted to watch them to try this and see how well they did. It wasn't his fault his reactions were too fast or that the game didn't seem to understand the concept of _counting_ to make sure something like that worked. He was pretty sure that such a useless defense mechanism didn't exist in the reactor.

The party left and met…

"President ShinRa?" Genesis asked. "Why would he deign to leave his tower for such lowly work as confronting terrorists?"

It was the little inconsistencies like this that made Sephiroth want to roll his eyes, really. Whoever made the game obviously had never met the President.

"Is it just me or does the President not seem to recognize Cloud?" Angeal asked.

"He doesn't know every SOLDIER in the program," Sephiroth commented… perhaps a little bitterly. Personally, he felt the President should at least _try_ to get to know the men under his command.

"Perhaps he was a SOLDIER 3rd?" Angeal rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Unless you become another Sephiroth?" Genesis scoffed, reading the words on the screen from the President. Then he frowned. "Wait, he said you 'were' brilliant."

Sephiroth matched his friend's frown. He didn't like the implied past tense himself. Why would he ever leave ShinRa?

Not that the thought hadn't crossed his mind. He didn't really _like_ the company, but where else could he go? Funny, he'd never really thought about it before.

Then Barrett rushed in and started spouting off again, the President revealed that he'd set up the whole reactor as a trap, and with the words he used and how he spoke them… well, at least they'd gotten _something_ right about his character. Although the President hadn't ever seemed quite that dismissive. Maybe that's how the masses saw him? Likely.

Then the President called forth a large machine to handle AVALANCHE.

"Why did he call in something from Scarlet?" Genesis asked, the exasperation back. "A 'techno-soldier'? Please. He should have just called one of us."

"Well, if Sephiroth isn't in ShinRa, I doubt we are too," Angeal commented.

Sephiroth blinked and felt something warm blossom in his chest as the implications of Angeal's comment sank in.

"You'd… leave ShinRa for me?" he asked softly.

Genesis, who had been about to say something, promptly clopped his mouth shut. Silence, except for the music of the game, fell over the room. Genesis and Angeal exchanged glances, and then Genesis turned to face the screen again with a huff. " _Legend shall speak Of sacrifice at world's end. The wind sails over the water's surface, Quietly, but surely._ "

"I agree. If you have a reason to go," Angeal said softly, "all you need do is ask."

Something about it all still felt wrong – the idea of just picking up and leaving – and yet…

"Then the same goes for you – either of you. Just ask."

He'd never really been close to anyone before in his life. He considered Genesis and Angeal friends, he supposed, but he hadn't known if they'd reciprocated. Of course, he hadn't ever really thought about it before himself. And maybe that was why he didn't understand relationships? Perhaps he should think about them more? Because having Angeal and Genesis there – and then they said they'd _follow him out of ShinRa…_ it felt good; relieving and grateful and protective and so many other things he couldn't name and wasn't used to feeling.

He glanced up at the game again. Maybe he was beginning to see the appeal.

It was still a poorly researched game, though.

Genesis cleared his throat and reached for a can of soda on the table, breaking the moment.

"Are we going to continue?" he gestured to the screen.

Yes. As good as it felt, it also made Sephiroth extremely uncomfortable and so he took the out his friend gave him (that still felt good to think about – Genesis and Angeal were his _friends…_ ) and made a mental note to come back to the subject on his own later.

"Yes," he replied and continued with the game.

They fought Scarlet's monstrosity, which (unsurprisingly, really) blew up and left Cloud hanging onto the bottom of the plate. Of course, then the reactor blew up.

"Wait, the President didn't even bother to deactivate the bomb?" Genesis asked. "Does he really not care? He should at least think about his profits."

"He likely sent someone in who didn't stop it in time," Sephiroth commented.

The other two fell quiet again as the screen went black and some rather confusing dialogue popped up. Sephiroth felt about the same.

"Wait, he survived the fall?" Genesis said, condescendingly watching Cloud regain consciousness.

"If he was a Soldier, it shouldn't be that difficult," Sephiroth pointed out.

"It also looks like he landed in something soft," Angeal said as the scene faded in to what looked like the inside of a church.

"It's the girl from earlier," the General said. "Is that where she gets the flowers?"

"Flowers don't grow in Midgar," Angeal said, just as the girl on screen commented about the same thing.

The red-head rolled his eyes. "Of course, she's a wonderful, special girl who will fall in love with the main character."

Sephiroth saw Angeal smirk out of the corner of his eye. "I thought you said the other girl will be the main love interest."

"This has the makings of a love triangle. How cliché." The Commander paused, looking thoughtful. "Or it could be a harem story. If it's a good one, it will allow you to actually choose one of them by the end instead of leading them all on."

Sephiroth frowned. Couldn't he just opt out of the romantic relationships?

Apparently not. Blast.

The girl suddenly changed the subject in the game, speaking about a materia her mother gave her that doesn't do anything. Then a lot more useless talk… and then someone walked in.

"Wait… is that…?" Angeal asked, squinting.

"His hair does look rather red…"

"What would a Turk be doing down there?" Sephiroth asked, just as infantry men walked into the church and began addressing 'Reno'.

"It is!" Genesis crowed triumphantly. "I'd love to see the look on his face when he sees this." Because the Turks likely already had a game and had already played the whole thing through. Sephiroth was still going to write a report, just to give his view point and some things the Turks may have missed (there wouldn't be many, it was the Turks after all).

The newly named Aeris ran off, and Cloud followed. Reno walked calmly after them, commenting on Cloud's mako eyes as he trampled all over the flowers. At least his infantry men had the decency to call him on it.

Of course, the two fleeing characters looked as if they would actually be able to outrun their pursuers, and then Aeris fell and had no option but to fight. Running at that point would have been useless, although fighting didn't seem to be much better.

She did surprisingly well, with Cloud's encouragement.

"It's amusing to see the man being relegated to the roll of the cheerleader," Genesis said with a smirk.

"The infantry men are dealing hardly any damage. They're not trying to really hurt her, obviously," Angeal scoffed.

"That would suggest that they know her and she's important to the company…" Sephiroth commented, just finishing off the fight on screen.

"Hmm," Angeal said.

They fought their way out of the church and got out onto the roof. Once there, Sephiroth turned to his friends.

"What do you think they meant, calling her an 'Ancient'?"

" _Infinite in mystery,_ " Genesis quoted.

Angeal just shrugged. "We'll probably find out later."

"Well, it does seem like they've been after her before," Genesis pointed out. "Although Turks _don't_ tend to scout for SOLDIER _."_ They tended to scout for Turks, leaving the SOLDIERS to scout for themselves. Of course, things could have changed if this happened after Sephiroth left the company. Were the creators implying this took place in the future?

Then Aeris said she had what it took to be in soldier. It had to be a joke. Sephiroth didn't think she could possibly mean that… Angeal snickering softly confirmed that yes, it was a joke, and he saw Genesis rolling his eyes. Alright, so she couldn't have been serious. Very few women made it into SOLDIER mainly because of adverse reactions to some of the concoctions SOLDIERS had to receive. There were exceptions, but they were few and far between.

They decided to get going and so Sephiroth moved Cloud across the next screen, wondering where Aeris was when she called out for him to wait.

"That, Sephiroth, is considered flirting," Genesis said in regards to their banter. "Take note."

Sephiroth blinked. "She called him 'terrible'… how is this conducive to a good relationship?"

"She was joking. Again…" the red-head said, looking put upon. Angeal's snickers didn't help. Sephiroth still didn't understand… So he continued the game.

"Oh! We get to know what class of SOLDIER he was!" the dark-haired man said, leaning forward.

The General frowned again. "She only asked if he was in SOLDIER."

"He's right. It will likely lead to more information," Genesis confirmed with a shrug.

The characters continued the conversation.

"Why would he ask a question like that?" Genesis asked. "Who _doesn't_ know about SOLDIER eyes?"

"And she says it's nothing… it's obviously something," Angeal said. "She must have known a SOLDIER."

"I concur," Genesis said.

That… seemed like a rather large leap in logic to Sephiroth. True, it would make sense, but there were other reasons she might know about the mako eyes. As Genesis pointed out, most people knew _something_ about the mark of a SOLDIER. Even in the slums.

Then they moved on and the scene changed again.

"We didn't find out about his SOLDIER class," Sephiroth pointed out.

"True. Shame. It must be set up for later," Genesis murmured. Angeal nodded.

Heaven forbid that Genesis ever admit he was wrong.

They wandered through the slums, seeing the red arrows marking an exit pop up on the screen. Sephiroth frowned as they came to a place with many red arrows but ignored all of them.

"Why are you not speaking to people?" Genesis asked.

"I think you should," Angeal agreed.

This was getting frustrating. "Why should I? It isn't in the mission."

The red-head sighed. "So goal oriented. If you talk to people, you'll likely get more information."

"Just like a real mission," Angeal said, amused.

"We are merely going to her house. She knows where her house is located. What other information is necessary?"

The dark-haired commander shrugged. "She could be running errands, or she could be checking in on people since it would be safer to do so while she had a body guard."

"That she just met five minutes ago…" Sephiroth said.

Angeal shrugged again. "Game logic is different from real life logic."

Which made absolutely _no_ sense at all whatsoever.

"Oh, just humor us and talk to some people. Go into houses. Take your time. You don't have to report in when you're done in this instance." Genesis looked like he wanted to go to sleep. Well, if he was so bored, he could leave. But Sephiroth decided to humor them and rolled his own eyes before going back to the game and walking up to what looked like a tube.

Aeris said the man inside was sick.

"Should I go in and speak to him, or leave him alone?" Sephiroth asked, a little sardonically perhaps.

"Zack told me that you should always talk to everyone in a game," Angeal said. "It was one of the tips he gave me when he handed the game station over."

So, with a sigh, Sephiroth walked Cloud inside. Aeris walked out of him (which was also very strange, but likely also the game logic Genesis was talking about). The flower girl asked Cloud to help the sick man, but Cloud answered that he was a SOLDIER, not a doctor. True enough, although any SOLDIER worth their salt had at least a restore materia, if not a heal. Too bad. Although, to be fair, a heal wasn't a 'be all, end all' either.

"Ah! We should keep an eye out for the tattoos!" Angeal said as Aeris read the #2 on the man. "It could be a clue as to what's going on!"

Sephiroth didn't bother shaking his head. What did a 'two' have to do with anything?

Silently huffing, he had Cloud leave and go back outside. He spoke to a couple of people he met there, some of whom commented on the sick man, one of them spoke of Wall Market, one was just walking around (did people actually do that in the slums?) and then they wondered into a materia shop of all things. _Materia_. _In the slums_.

Genesis wasn't the only one who scoffed at that. "Please. Materia? In the slums? And that is a fire materia! For 600 gil!"

"It's not that unthinkable if those are all baby materia," Angeal pointed out to his long-time friend.

"But in the slums?!" Genesis retorted.

"I understand they can be rather… resourceful down there," Sephiroth said. He wouldn't know, but he'd heard some of his SOLDIERS talk. Kunsel and Luxiere especially.

"Hmm," the red-head responded, not sounding convinced.

"We already have at least one of everything they sell," Angeal said.

Sephiroth frowned again (he seemed to be doing that rather a lot with this 'game'). "Why couldn't we at least try to heal the sick man, then?"

Both of the other men shrugged.

The silver General took a deep breath and turned out of the shop. He wandered into the next door and found –

"An item shop? Do they even sell items below plate?" Genesis asked.

"Of course they do," Angeal responded dryly. "They have to live too."

"Define 'live'," Genesis responded. "That is squalor at best."

Sephiroth ignored them and perused the menu of items. Then he blinked.

"A tent… is worth more than a phoenix down…" he said, perhaps a little incredulously.

Angeal and Genesis both stopped and looked over at the screen. Then they both raised their eyebrows in surprise.

"If that is true to reality," the brunet started, "then that says quite a bit about the lives people lead under the plate."

The other two nodded in mute agreement.

Again, Sephiroth bought nothing, turning and walking out and into the street.

"What are you doing? Don't you need some phoenix downs?" Genesis asked.

"I am seeing what else they have."

The smallest SOLDIER conceded the point with a nod as Sephiroth walked into another nearby door. The man inside didn't like ShinRa much. To his credit, he also didn't like AVALANCHE. The General was still determined to put some of what they said about the President in his report and made a mental note of it.

"Please," Genesis said, condescendingly, to the character on the screen. "'I don't lie to myself'? Everyone does."

"At some point, unfortunately," Angeal muttered.

They continued wandering around that house, found a kid who looked a little sick himself, and some notes saying to go to the 'Turtle's Paradise' for some wine. Sephiroth also found he could just poke around people's trunks and drawers, apparently… he made a mental note not to do that often. How depraved were the people who made this game? They encouraged sedition, larceny, terrorism…

The next door led to a very messy weapons shop… that only sold titan bangles and grenades.

"They only have titan bangles?" Genesis scoffed.

Angeal let out a sigh. "It's the _slums_ , Genesis."

"They had _materia!_ "

Well, he had a point there.

On Genesis' urging, he bought a titan bangle for all of the people he'd encountered who had pictures at the bottom of the screen, so four. Then he bought two grenades and left.

"I thought you were going to see what else they had," Angeal said.

"I need to equip my team," Sephiroth responded. "I already had enough materia and will see what else they have before I buy some items."

There was a little kid running around that he didn't even bother to try and talk to, and one more exit to explore. He decided to go back to the item's shop and bought some phoenix downs and some more restores and a couple of antidotes. Then he went to the only exit he hadn't tried. It led them to a house… and a garden. Under the plate.

"Is that truly in the slums?" Genesis asked.

"It looks better than some places I've seen above plate," Angeal agreed.

"It must be the flower-girl's home," Sephiroth replied.

"How do you figure?" Genesis asked.

"A garden. Nothing grows in Midgar…"

"Except Aeris' plants," Angeal finished.

Genesis frowned. "Although that does beg the question: Why does she brave the rest of the slums to go to an old church to grow flowers she could simply grow here?"

The other two didn't have an answer for him.

"And where does that water come from?" Angeal asked. "It looks more like a mountain cottage instead of something in the slums. That has to be run-off or something."

"Perhaps the flowers and garden are her purifying agent for the water, if it is run off?"

Genesis still didn't seem convinced. "Hmm," he responded.

"And the sunlight? Where does that come from?" Angeal asked.

"It is sector five. It could be near the outside. Perhaps a crack in the plate?" Sephiroth replied. He couldn't think of anything else.

"Awfully convenient that it happened right there," Genesis said.

They gathered the materia and ether (that were _just lying around…_ who did that?) before heading into the house where Aeris announced that they were home and introduced Cloud to the woman inside – her mother. Sephiroth focused. He'd never known his mother and had always been curious as to what mothers did and the role they played in other people's lives.

"She reminds me of your mother, Angeal," the red-head said fondly.

When Angeal didn't answer, Sephiroth glanced over to see a small, warm smile on his friend's face. He wasn't quite sure what it meant, but it was such a soft expression…

He turned back to the screen.

Tifa came up in their conversation and Aeris asked if she was Cloud's girlfriend.

Sephiroth didn't know how to answer that. So he turned and raised an eyebrow at Genesis.

"Why are you looking at me?"

"Is she Cloud's girlfriend?"

Genesis sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, causing Sephiroth to scowl ever so slightly. The Crimson Commander certainly knew how to push his buttons.

"Do you favor Tifa or Aeris at this point?" Genesis asked.

Sephiroth blinked. "What?"

"Should Cloud favor Tifa or Aeris?" the red-head repeated, sounding frustrated.

"Why should that be my decision?"

"Because you're playing _as_ him!" Genesis snapped.

Why couldn't there be a silent option?

"I… don't know."

"Oh, for… just pick the fighter. She'd suit you better anyway," Genesis said.

Angeal was snickering again, for some reason.

"Which… option is that?" Sephiroth asked.

"Say she is your girlfriend!"

"So she is?" he asked.

"Of course not! But the answer would indicate that Cloud would _like_ for her to be."

Sephiroth stared at him for several seconds longer, still utterly confused, before turning and picking that option. Aeris said that was nice and that she'd show Cloud the way back.

"That girl does not give up easily," Genesis muttered.

His comment only confused Sephiroth more.

"She says she's used to danger," Angeal muttered with a frown of his own. "Why did she need a bodyguard then?"

"Turks," Genesis replied as if that explained everything… which, it kind of did.

"They'll know where she lives by now. If they really want her, they'll find her," Angeal pointed out.

"True. Perhaps they were watching her already. Maybe they just didn't want someone unknown to get near her?" the red-head asked.

"Would she know that?" the brunet muttered.

Again, no answer.

Eventually, her mother came down and persuaded them to go back to Sector 7 the next day and asked Aeris to go make up a bed, so it seemed Cloud was staying over as well. Were all mothers that nice?

Then the screen faded to black and Sephiroth looked over the menu that popped up. Had they really been playing for over two hours already?

"You know," Angeal said, as if reading Sephiroth's mind, "I'll go put the pizzas in. Sound good?"

"Yes," Genesis replied.

"Thank you," Sephiroth said politely.

"No problem." The brunet rose to his feet, stretched a little and then grabbed the pizza boxes before retreating to the kitchen. After a couple of minutes he came back and they continued the game.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: So, second chapter.
> 
> I have 13 written so far. *shifty eyes* *ahem* In any case, would anyone be interested in a discord if I had one? Please let me know.


	3. Sector 6 and Wall Market

Sephiroth greatly anticipated that pizza. The idea of eating such a common food that had been denied him his whole life sent a small thrill through him. It felt similar to when he decided to play the video game in defiance of Hojo, but sweeter in a way. He had no concept of games, outside of training, but food was a constant. He had listened to many colleagues expound on their favorite foods, so Sephiroth had some preconceptions regarding it. Pizza had always seemed related to friendly gatherings and warm memories – most of which were still very unfamiliar to him – and he wanted to enjoy it at this… get together.

And he was enjoying himself, frustrations with the game notwithstanding.

Once Angeal sat down, Sephiroth had Cloud wander around the house for a little, then spoke to Aeris' mother… who just seemed to be watching him. When she asked Cloud to leave tonight without telling Aeris, Sephiroth found himself surprised and turned to Genesis and Angeal.

They didn't seem to notice.

"She _did_ know a SOLDIER before! I knew it!" Genesis grinned triumphantly.

"And said SOLDIER hurt her," Angeal muttered, as if trying to put that all together in his mind. It seemed they were too caught up in trying to figure everything out to explain it to him, and he felt a little foolish for needing to turn to them to explain every little thing, so he sighed and returned his attention to the screen.

He tried to have Cloud leave the house then, but the game wouldn't let him for some reason. So he wandered upstairs and saw Aeris, who told him Sector 6 was a little dangerous (she wasn't wrong, but as far as Sephiroth knew, Sector 5 wasn't much better) and that he needed sleep. Then she said goodnight.

The next thing they knew, more strange text came across the screen.

"Is that Cloud talking to himself?" Angeal asked.

Then they saw what Sephiroth could only assume was a flashback.

"That must be Cloud's mother," the brunet commented.

"Are all mothers… like that?"

The other two SOLDIERS looked over at Sephiroth, then they exchanged glances.

"Like what?" Angeal asked slowly.

"They… care and worry and try to do what is best for you?"

More exchanged glances. Then Genesis seemed to close down. "No. But they should."

Right. He hadn't come from a happy home like Angeal had. His parents had adopted him, but had more or less just paraded him around as their prodigy of a son, bought him whatever he'd asked for and then more or less abandoned him for the remainder of the time. Sephiroth knew how that felt at least.

He looked to Angeal.

"Yeah, they all should be like that," the brunet confirmed. "I'm sure your mother would have been too."

Somehow, that didn't help as much as he would have liked. He thanked Angeal with a nod anyway before returning to the game.

Cloud woke up on a bed in a room beside Aerith's and it looked like he was going to try and leave on his own. Sephiroth ran out of the room and a squeaking noise had Aeris come out and stop him. Then the screen faded to black and in again, with Cloud on the bed in the same room as before.

Sephiroth tried again.

Aeris stopped him again.

He frowned as the screen faded to black again.

He tried for a third time, this time going more slowly. He still made a noise and Aeris came out.

Genesis and Angeal were both snickering at this point.

Sephiroth ground his teeth a little and he tried again… and failed.

Genesis' snort sounded even louder and finally Sephiroth had had enough.

"If you think you can do better, then here," he snapped, his hand shooting past Angeal's face to come to a stop in front of the red-head.

Both of them stopped laughing at least.

Then Genesis, the smug git that he was, took the controller gracefully.

"Why, of course. _My friend, your desire Is the bringer of life, the gift of the goddess_."

Sephiroth sat back calmly on his end of the couch. "Somehow, I doubt that."

Genesis ran out the door of the room, picking up a potion and a phoenix down that Sephiroth had missed, and… failed to leave without Aeris hearing him.

He frowned. Sephiroth couldn't help but smile smugly over at him.

It took him four more tries to walk calmly out the door and down the stairs into the empty living space below. Sephiroth wondered where Aeris' mother slept.

"See? Simple."

"It took you as many tries as it took me," Sephiroth pointed out, still a little smug.

" _Even if the morrow is barren of promises Nothing shall forestall my return_!" Genesis retorted.

Sephiroth just smirked.

As Aeris' mother had asked, they left, running through the little community market and onto the path outside.

Where they ran into Aeris.

"How did she get there before us?!" Genesis asked, pointing at the screen as if it had offended him.

Sephiroth had been thinking the same thing.

Just then, a buzzer went off behind them, making all three of them jump a little (even if none of them would ever admit it).

"Oh, the pizza's done!" Angeal said. "I'll be right back."

He left and the other two heard him taking something off of the rack of the oven.

"Sephiroth, do you have a metal pan or something?" Angeal asked. "Or a serving plate?"

Why would he have one of those?

"No," he responded.

Angeal huffed. "Fine, I'll figure it out. "

A couple of minutes later, he came in with three of the plates Sephiroth had never used before full of triangle slices of pizza and placed one down in front of each of their places.

"Very good!" Genesis said, grabbing a slice.

"I put what I couldn't fit in the fridge," the brunet said.

Sephiroth watched Genesis, then Angeal after he'd sat down. They both grabbed the slices with their hands and ate them, point first.

"It's a little warm," Genesis said, reaching for a drink.

"That's when it's the best," Angeal replied.

Sephiroth looked at the pile in front of him and gently reached forward.

"You'll want to take off your gloves," the larger SOLDIER said, sounding amused.

Pausing, Sephiroth did so, then brought a warm slice to his mouth and bit down.

Then he blinked and looked down at the pizza.

He sat there for several seconds.

"How do you like it?" Angeal asked, slowly.

"I have never tasted anything so… flavorful?" Sephiroth replied. Well, that wasn't entirely true, but this was definitely something else. "I am not sure what to think."

Genesis snorted. "You like it. Admit it."

Sephiroth took another bite. Yes. Yes, he liked it. "Very well, I will admit it," he said.

Angeal beamed. Genesis looked smug. Sephiroth didn't care.

He reached for a can of soda himself and found that the sweet taste, while not normally to his liking, rather went with the pizza very nicely. To think, this wouldn't have happened had he not received the game...

They sat there eating in silence for several minutes before Genesis wiped his hands on a napkin and returned to the game.

"Well, gentlemen, shall we?"

They wandered through Sector 6, running into several Hell Houses and Whole Eaters along the way. Sephiroth was glad they'd found quite a few potions and Aeris had a healing limit break, which came in immensely helpful. If only healing and such worked so easily in real life. Potions could save a life and were great to use to jump start the healing on small wounds. They were not the be all, end all that the game seemed to make them out to be.

It took a little bit of wandering (and a lot of swearing on Genesis' part) to find the right plank to walk up, but eventually they made it to the edge of Sector 6 and 7, ending up at the gates of a small playground. It still didn't seem like nearly enough space for an entire sector to Sephiroth. More game logic, he supposed.

"Here is where they part, then?" Genesis asked, sounding skeptical.

"Will she be fine on the way home indeed," Angeal said with a shake of his head, repeating Cloud's question aloud. "Both of them had problems with the monsters on the way here.

"There aren't usually that many monsters," Sephiroth pointed out. "It must be a function of the game play." After all, programs could only do so much and it would be terribly easy to write a program that would generate a monster after so many steps taken.

"You're getting the hang of this," Angeal said, smiling proudly.

The Silver General rolled his eyes and didn't dignify that with a response.

The option came up to take her home or go to sector 7. The three of them exchanged glances before Genesis chose 'Go to sector 7'.

"Why not offer to take her home?" Angeal asked.

"What would be the point?" Sephiroth asked. "She would insist on coming back with him."

Angeal frowned. "True…"

It still seemed rather pointless all around. Logically, she couldn't just follow him around or insist he follow her the entire time.

"She wants to take a break?" Genesis scoffed at the flower girl's next words.

"Well, she is unenhanced and just fought several monsters," Angeal defended.

They watched as the two ended up on top of the slide in the playground, just sitting.

Then Genesis grinned triumphantly at the next sentence, the girl asking what rank Cloud was in SOLDIER. "Ha! I knew we'd find out his rank."

Then the screen flashed white for just the barest moment.

"First class," Angeal repeated the words on the screen. All three SOLDIERS frowned and looked at each other.

"I know of no one in the firsts who fit Cloud's description," Sephiroth said slowly.

"He could have simply been made up for the game," Angeal said, although he looked troubled.

"Even if that were the case," the redhead spoke, "with the verbal framing, there's something else going on."

"You don't think he was first class?" Angeal asked.

"With the way he fights?" the red-head scoffed again.

"I agree with Genesis," Sephiroth said. "There is something more going on, and he can't be a first."

The other two nodded, one in agreement and the other in concession as they continued the game.

They were all rather annoyed when Aeris wouldn't give up her previous First-Class SOLDIER's boyfriend's name, although none of them said it aloud.

Of course, then a chocobo pulling a cart ran by with Tifa in the back and Aeris wanted to run after her.

"You know," Genesis said as he moved for Cloud to follow Aeris, "I don't think I'll ever understand women."

Sephiroth couldn't help but think that if Genesis couldn't, then he had absolutely no chance, and wasn't sure quite what to think of that.

xXx

Cloud and Aeris ended up in a… very liberal interpretation of Wall Market, and for the next hour, Genesis ran around doing odd jobs and little things to get into Don Corneo's place. Although, none of them really wanted to go in.

All three of them found it amusing (and their respect for Cloud as a person increased) when he volunteered to cross-dress instead of letting her go in alone (although, Sephiroth did ask why he didn't just break in as it shouldn't be a difficult job for even a third class SOLDIER).

After wandering around trying to figure out how to get the items they needed for Cloud's new outfit, Genesis got fed up and handed the controller to Angeal, who had (in Sephiroth's opinion) far too much fun trying to figure out where to get things and how.

They managed to get the dress and some cologne… and didn't bother to go into the Honeybee Lounge.

"I wonder if the rumors are true about President ShinRa visiting there…" Genesis mused as Cloud walked back to the clothing shop.

"Probably not a good idea to speculate," Sephiroth pointed out, although personally, he wouldn't be surprised.

"So we have cologne and a dress… and it's too bad that the graphics aren't a little better so we can see how he would actually look," Angeal said as Cloud walked out of the changing room.

Of course, then Aeris walked out in her chosen outfit.

"She didn't seem the type," Genesis muttered as the other two agreed.

"Oh, I hope she never meets Zack. I'm not sure Midgar would survive," the dark-haired man said, grinning.

Personally, Sephiroth thought it was useless to say that a fictional character and a real person shouldn't meet and didn't know why Angeal would think otherwise, but he didn't say anything.

Then they got into Don Corneo's place. It was just about as gaudy as Sephiroth would have imagined. Honestly, this whole scene made him feel… uncomfortable. The idea of going into a prostitution institution for _any_ reason, and cross-dress to prostrate oneself before an obvious predator… What kind of man would take a new 'wife' every night? How depraved does one get?

He made a mental note to look up this 'Don Corneo' and… take care of him if the game was in any way true to life. Just in case.

And they hadn't even met the guy in the game yet. Sephiroth didn't hold high hopes that the character was anything but dirt.

They went looking for Tifa and found her in what looked like a torture basement.

Sephiroth hoped he used that for actual torture and not… other things. And how sad was that?

No, really, the first item on his list was to look this guy up. He hoped he didn't find anything… for Corneo's sake.

It was amusing to see Tifa's reaction to Cloud in a dress, though.

"You're right, Sephiroth. There have got to be other ways of getting in there," Genesis said scornfully. "They could kill the guards – I'm sure they're not difficult to take out."

"Or even just subdue," Angeal said, trying to find the less violent way. Sephiroth saw Genesis roll his eyes.

The characters continued to talk, eventually agreeing that they'd get whatever information they needed out of the Don, no matter who was chosen as his 'bride'.

It didn't take long for the 'girls' to be called before the Don… who, honestly, looked about as piggish as Sephiroth had expected. He practically oozed a lecherous air, despite the fact that he was literally only a bunch of misshapen squares on the screen.

Was it usual to want to take a weapon and thrust it through one's television screen when playing these games?

Not even Masamune, but another mass-produced weapon as such a task would be beneath her.

The Don chose Aeris.

Judging by the groan that came from Angeal, he was sure he wasn't the only one who wanted to kill a bunch of pixels.

These games were easier to become involved in than he'd initially realized.

Thankfully, Cloud eventually revealed himself and he fought the other lechers off. Although…

" _Where_ did he get that sword all of a sudden?" Genesis yelled, pointing at the screen.

Sephiroth knew that not everyone could call a sword like he could call Masamune, and wondered exactly what the game players were thinking when they had his sword just 'appear' like that. It was… frustrating. He wished any and all other girls who had been brought to this man could call a sword out of thin air.

Then he had to remind himself that this was most likely not a real person in a real situation.

Again.

Perhaps it was time they stopped? Or took a break?

Of course, he wanted to see what happened and how badly Aeris broke Corneo… because he had little doubt she would.

Tifa came out of the other room and Angeal, being the thoughtful person he was, asked if she was alright. Then they rushed in to help Aeris.

"If that… thing is representative of what we can find under the plates, then perhaps I should go down there more often," Genesis said darkly. Sephiroth agreed as they watched the man's disgusting actions. He didn't even get anywhere with her and she somehow changed back into her original clothes (as had Tifa, although that was far more believable in the General's opinion) with a spin and then they proceeded to threaten him.

Genesis laughed vindictively. " _All that awaits you is a somber morrow, No matter where the winds may blow_."

"I take it back. If we ever find anyone like these girls, they'd likely make great SOLDIERS," Angeal said thoughtfully.

"If the injections took without killing them," Sephiroth replied.

Silence as the other two stared at him.

"Mood killer," Genesis muttered.

"What?" Sephiroth asked, confused.

"Never mind," Angeal said as he continued the game.

"So, Heidegger's behind something here?" Genesis asked when the man's name came up on screen.

"If it had to do with terrorists, why isn't it the Turks?" Sephiroth mused aloud.

"You think it had to do with this version of AVALANCHE?" Angeal asked.

The General nodded.

Then all three of them stared open mouthed at the next words on screen. "They're going to _what_?!" Angeal whispered harshly.

" _My friend, do you fly away now? To a world that abhors you and I?_ " Genesis muttered.

"But… but they wouldn't do that! An entire plate! That has to be seventy thousand people! _Easily_! The President wouldn't… and this is a game…"

Sephiroth didn't respond.

The fact that Genesis didn't either spoke louder than anything they could have said otherwise.

The further they got in the game, the more Sephiroth could believe the events happening in it… and that actually worried him more than he'd like to admit.

Of course, then the entire party got dropped down a trap door.

Then ominous music began to play and President ShinRa's office came into view. At that point, the President confirmed what the Don had said while Reeve Tuesti practically begged them to not do something so damaging.

"Is Tuesti really like that, I wonder?" Angeal asked softly.

"I've met him a couple of times," Genesis put forth, "but not often enough to say yay or nay."

"I as well," Sephiroth said. "He is… competent." And that was all he knew too.

Silence fell as the President went on about how he'd blame the plate falling on AVALANCHE and then send in rescue operations…

The three SOLDIERS exchanged worried, knowing glances again, and played on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Sooooo, I've finished the remake. I was annoyed by it initially, but once I looked a couple of things up, I'm actually kind of excited to see where it goes.
> 
> If you're curious, come discuss it on my brand new discord! (Obi's Den of Geeks and Writerings) https://discord.gg/ezzFnGJ


	4. Sewers and Sector 7 Plate

The party wandered through the sewers fighting more monsters, including one called an 'abzu'.

"What… is that?" Genesis' disdainful voice echoed Sephiroth's own thoughts when the (actually rather harmless looking) monster came on screen.

"An abzu, apparently," Angeal said as he fought his first monster fight of the game.

"What is an abzu?" Sephiroth asked.

Angeal smirked. "A sewer monster."

Genesis and Sephiroth shot each other annoyed looks behind Angeal's back, but decided to drop it. He was, after all, right, and when Angeal got into this kind of mood, he could be very frustrating indeed. It was times like this when Sephiroth really saw how alike Angeal and Zack could be.

"It looks like we're going to try and stop ShinRa from making a _very_ bad move," the dark-haired SOLDIER said firmly as they fought their way through the sewers.

Somewhere down there, Cloud picked up a new limit break. Cross-slash.

It sounded slow and useless to Sephiroth, but it worked in the game.

They'd also, at some point, picked up an all materia which they quickly equipped on Aeris, linked to her restore.

After what felt like _far_ too long, they finally ended up in…

"Is that the train graveyard?" Angeal asked, sounding surprised.

"Well, it is in Sector 6," Sephiroth pointed out.

"The fact that they are that accurate about the places in the game worries me," Genesis commented softly. "Even if they can't be spatially correct."

It was funny how much Sephiroth had agreed with Genesis during this get together. Perhaps he needed to examine that a little more closely…

With far more patience than either Sephiroth or Genesis, Angeal explored the train graveyard, fighting more monsters (ghosts, they had _ghosts…_ utterly ridiculous) discovering potions, hi-potions, elixers, materia…

"Weren't we supposed to be trying to hurry to Sector 7?" Sephiroth asked, still confused.

"Yes," the red-head replied.

"I'm doing the best I can at the moment," Angeal said.

"You're exploring every crevice possible," Genesis protested.

The dark-haired man just rolled his eyes and moved Cloud along.

Once they got to the train station of sector 7, they rushed past it. The next screen over showed a crowd of people standing in front of a gate and a save point. Then the camera cut to the pillar, panning up until someone fell from the top.

Sephiroth felt his eyebrows rise just a little as everyone on screen hurried over to Wedge.

"He fell from the top of the pillar and he's still alive to _speak_?" Genesis asked. "I don't know whether to scoff at how unrealistic that is, or be impressed at his determination."

"The former," the Silver General said blandly.

Everyone looked at each other, then back at the screen.

"Is it just me, or is sending someone who has never been to a place before to get a child a bad idea?" Angeal asked when Tifa asked just that of Aeris.

"They're sending their healer away… what sense does that make? If he thinks that is a sound judgment… Would SOLDIER requirements fall so far after we leave?" Sephiroth asked.

The young woman ran off, they try to warn the people to get out of Sector 7 and… no one left the area. Worse yet, it looked like Aeris left Cloud all of her materia. Angeal, as much as he disapproved, wasted no time in equipping it. If he had the materia, he was going to use it.

They ran up the stairs and found Biggs crumpled over the railing. He encouraged Cloud to help Barrett. No one said much as Angeal hurried Cloud on.

After several fights on the way up, they ran into Jessie.

"If she is still alive, why not cast cure?!" Genesis asked, throwing his hands into the air. "Honestly…"

"They do have limited mana," Angeal pointed out, although he sounded more like he agreed with Genesis.

"They – Jessie, Biggs and Wedge – are not enhanced," Sephiroth said softly. "The mako in our systems helps with mending bones and muscle, creating two sides of links that, once broken, attract each other. This allows bones to align and heal naturally. The unenhanced don't have that. Healing them may cause more damage than help."

"But it would give them a _chance_ ," Genesis snapped. "At least more than what they have now. Besides, they've been able to heal Barrett and Aeris. Why not anyone else? Simply because they do not have the _honor_ ," he practically spit the word, "of joining the illustrious Cloud's party?"

Well, he had a point there, but still. Sephiroth felt his mouth flatten into a grim line. "I don't blame them for saving their mana – or MP, in this game, I suppose – for the fight at the top. Save three people or potentially save an entire sector."

Because if a plate ever fell, that could be… catastrophic.

In true Genesis fashion, he 'let the matter go' by pouting and then mumbling under his breath.

In true Angeal fashion, he ignored his friend and continued the game. They finally ran into Barrett, he joined the party and then Reno managed to get onto the platform and push a button.

That could not be good.

"Barrett must have absolutely terrible aim if he cannot hit an unenhanced man with as many bullets as he's wasting," Genesis said dryly. The other two nodded in agreement.

Of course, then they fought Reno, who somehow seemed to be more difficult than the _security robots_ they'd encountered on the way up the pillar. Also he was immune to lighting and had a very annoying pyramid attack.

And then he ran away.

Turks.

Tifa and Cloud tried to undo the damage, but Sephiroth knew there wouldn't be any way for them to override orders from Pres. ShinRa (and that's what it had to be because only he could command the Turks like that).

Then Tseng showed up in a helicopter with Aeris in the back.

Which made absolutely no sense.

"Why did he come near the pillar just to let them know he'd caught their friend?" Genesis asked. "That seems like a very un-Terk-like thing to do." And ridiculously stupid if they were really planning on destroying said pillar, even if they were in a helicopter.

"And apparently they _were_ actually keeping an eye on her," Angeal muttered. "Because she's an Ancient, perhaps?"

Genesis scoffed again. "I'd still like to know what an 'Ancient' is. She looks human to me. Well," he snorted derisively, "as human as any of these other block-like characters in any case."

"Why go after her now, though?" Sephiroth asked. "If she's been under their watch, why act now when they have, quite obviously, other things to take care of?"

Angeal answered after a few moments. "Well, if she was under their watch and potentially their protection, and they found her in Sector 7, right before they would destroy the pillar keeping it up," he paused and Genesis butted in.

"Not to mention she's in cohorts with some known terrorists."

The dark-haired SOLDIER nodded. "That seems like good reason to take her into their custody."

"For her own protection, of course," Sephiroth muttered, a little bitterly.

Genesis scoffed. "It's doubtful they'll even try for a reason. He said they had orders."

"Do you think she was in hiding? Something like Witness Protection?" Angeal mused.

"And her getting involved with members of this new AVALANCHE brought her into the spotlight," the red-head said, nodding thoughtfully. "Yes, that would make some sense."

It was just like the ShinRa board of directors to hand down several demanding orders at the same time.

"At least that Marlene girl is alright I… did Tseng just hit her?!" Angeal shouted angrily.

"Why do you keep asking questions you know the answer to?" Sephiroth asked.

"It's a form of emphasis," Genesis answered, distracted by the game. "He puts it in a question format to emphasize that he shouldn't have had to point it out at all due to the nature of the action he is calling into question."

Sephiroth blinked. That was… actually useful. Perhaps he should ask Genesis questions while he's distracted more often.

"I see," he responded. Then he cocked his head to one side and read what was on the screen. "Did Tseng just laugh?"

Angeal and Genesis both paused, exchanged glances, then looked back over at Sephiroth.

He raised one eyebrow at them. "Is there certain criteria about the situation that negates that form of expression?"

"No," Genesis responded. "It just sounds… unusual, coming from you."

"We need to explain things better in the future, it would seem," Angeal said, sounding half apologetic and half amused.

"It would be appreciated," Sephiroth said with a nod of his head.

"So, Tseng is acting very un-Tesng like…" Genesis said, going back to the game and musing. Then he blinked. "No, that cannot be it…"

It was Sephiroth's turn to exchange glances with Angeal.

"What?" the dark-haired man asked.

"Is he… purposefully giving them a clue? Telling them where to go and what to do to help the girl, making it seem like she'll be mistreated to give them motivation."

"For a rescue!" Angeal exclaimed, blinking. "He did just practically challenge them to escape."

Sephiroth frowned. "That… does also seem rather un-Tseng like," but sounded far more like the man he knew than what they were portraying on screen.

"Of course, it could just be the producers and writers of the game not knowing much about Tseng," Angeal pointed out. The fact that the Turks made an appearance in the game at all, especially in their actual capacity (for the most part), really said a lot about the creators. It was curious that in some areas they seemed to have done their homework very well, while in others, they had little to no research. Perhaps it had been a group project and the different members didn't have the same work ethic when it came to research?

The chopper left just as the pillar exploded.

"And Tseng just happened to leave a wire that could swing them out of the sector intact…" Genesis muttered. "Although if the plate is, indeed, falling, I have no idea what it is actually connected to."

Angeal looked a little shell-shocked. "They… didn't stop it? Aren't games supposed to have you prevent disasters? Did we play this wrong?"

He looked to his friends who both shook their heads. How were they supposed to know?

"We do still have two disks left," Genesis pointed out.

"I do not see how we could have done anything differently enough to change that aspect," Sephiroth said. Unless this was more of their strange 'game logic'.

They watched as Barrett yelled at the gate that had once been an entrance to Sector 7, now completely blocked by debris.

"Did he not hear what Aeris said?" Genesis asked. "Marlene is alive."

"It's more like he didn't have context for it as neither Cloud nor Tifa had the chance to explain it to him," Sephiroth said.

"And even if Marlene is safe, he did just lose his house, his friends, his neighbors… all in a completely senseless act of—"

The Silver General put a hand on Angeal's shoulder, cutting him off. "Perhaps you should stop there."

Angeal blinked, looked back at the screen, then sighed and nodded. Even if this wasn't the actual president, criticizing him – even risking getting into the habit of doing so – was not a good idea.

"Yes. I suppose you're correct."

They continued with the game, watching as Tifa told Barrett about Marlene's potential survival. It helped, but as Angeal said, Biggs, Wedge and Jessie…

Sephiroth agreed with Barrett's statement about how it was all 'screwed up'. How could someone drop an entire plate just to try and get rid of a cell of rebels with six members? Sephiroth was no stranger to making sacrifices, but that was excessive. Beyond excessive, even. How could the President be _that_ desperate? Sadly, he could see the President doing it… and that thought did not sit well with him.

Tifa asked if it was their fault… and Sephiroth could see why she asked that. They had participated in illegal activities and used a base in a populated area as a hideout. That didn't excuse the President for killing so many people – both above and blow plate – to get rid of a pocket cell. No matter how many suspects there were, an entire village was not an acceptable loss. Not like that.

Although Barrett's proclamation that they needed to get rid of all ShinRa for the sake of the planet – which could very well include just as many innocent people as the plate dropping just killed – he also did _not_ agree with.

Although, he could understand it.

Acts like that – like dropping plates – would just lead to more anger and hate against ShinRa.

He wasn't sure the on-screen President would care. He doubted the _real_ President would care.

Which said so much about the President they worked for…

He realized where his thoughts had gone and ruthlessly squashed them. He had to give the creators of the game credit. They were _good_ if they could make even him question his loyalties.

"So… it seems we're going to go save Aeris," Genesis said once the scene concluded.

"Indeed," Sephiroth replied.

The game wouldn't let them go back (which was frustrating as they'd all seen the yellow materia earlier), but as Cloud walked further onto the screen, Tifa and Barrett came up behind him.

"Something about the Ancients," Genesis repeated the words of the game.

Then a bright flash, and words across the screen:

' _In my veins courses the blood of the Ancients! I am one of the rightful heirs to the planet!'_

Then Cloud said, 'Sephiroth?'

Sephiroth blinked in surprise at the seemingly random remark. He didn't know what to think about it, to be honest. Was Cloud implying that Sephiroth had spoken those words? It didn't sound like something he'd ever say. But that could also be the game creators not knowing…

He felt his hand clench. Sometimes he despised the face he had to put on for the company propaganda – both positive and negative.

At that point, Angeal tried to go back and managed to get the Sense materia, which he equipped to Barrett.

"Where do we go now?" the brunet asked, still moving the characters along.

"Well, this does look like the area of Sector six that Aeris led us through earlier. We know where Aeris' house is," Genesis pointed out.

"It did have a save point," Sephiroth said.

"And we should probably inform her mother…" Angeal muttered.

If Sephiroth had been one to express his emotions, he may have flinched. Delivering bad news to families had been one of his duties before, and it had never been a pleasant one.

They moved Cloud through the area, speaking to people who all seemed worried and upset (understandably so) about Sector 7's plate.

Not long after that, they got to Aeris' house and Angeal saved the game. Apparently, if one didn't do so, they could lose all of their progress when they decided to play again.

Speaking of which…

"We have been playing for almost five hours now," he pointed out.

Genesis and Angeal both looked rather surprised at that.

"Now that you mention it, I do feel a little stiff," the red-head said, rising.

Angeal nodded. "I still have some things I need to do today. But we should do this again, even if we don't decide to play this game."

"I still plan on playing it," Sephiroth commented as he rose. "When you leave, I will begin writing my report on it in preparation to give to the Turks."

Genesis rolled his eyes. "Do you ever not think about work?"

Sephiroth just raised an eyebrow at him. "Yes." He'd been rather focused on the game, after all.

Before Genesis could say anything else, Angeal stood, placing himself between the two of them. "Well, we shall leave you to it."

He turned to usher his friend out of the apartment as Genesis quoted Loveless. " _My friend, do you fly away now? To a world that abhors you and I?_ "

"What about the game station?" Sephiroth asked after them.

They paused at the door. "Oh, Zack said I could borrow it for a couple of days, so I was planning on leaving it set up."

"I… see," Sephiroth said, noting the general state of uncleanliness his living room happened to be in. Still, it probably wasn't worth commenting on. He doubted Genesis would help anyway, and even if he did, it would likely be an exercise in frustration for all of them.

"Did you enjoy yourself, Sephiroth?" his third in command asked, cocking his head to one side with mild trepidation.

The Silver General blinked and then nodded as he walked over to turn the screen and game station off. "I did."

"Good," Angeal said, then walked out to join Genesis in the hallway.

Sephiroth watched them go fondly before turning to clean up the living space.

Twenty minutes later, he sat down at his personal desk and began to type out a report.

He got half-way through, reaching the Sector 5 reactor and the potential security breaches before pausing. Just how accurate was that? Was it worth looking into? Don Corneo certainly was...

Tapping his chin, he finally decided that if one aspect was worth looking into, then all aspects were. With that, he saved the document and rose, reaching for his black duster. The Turks would appreciate his thoroughness, after all, and it wasn't like it would take a great deal of time to double check.

xXx

"Again," Angeal stated as Zack went through his nightly forms. He'd moved on from hand-to-hand and was now working on his swordplay. His footwork was getting better, and he had already improved since he'd come in that evening… now if only he could remember to use that in the field. Of course, that was part of the reason why Angeal wanted to make sure this was second nature to him.

Normally, he would have pulled out a standard sword by now, ready to spar with his protege, but tonight, his mind kept returning to the game they'd just played. While some things didn't make sense or were obviously not researched, as Sephiroth had pointed out, other points seemed so utterly spot-on it was scary. The information had to be a leak of some kind. Even if it wasn't all correct, there was enough there that he could see it posing a threat. Honestly, he was glad Sephiroth had taken it on himself to write a report, or he would have done the same. He may still.

Something about it all bothered him on a deeper level, though. Why send this game to Sephiroth? To the very people who would track it and shut it down. Were they that desperate to make a statement? He knew how much some of the programs they built for the VR room cost, and this couldn't be significantly cheaper, even with the poorer graphics. Why waste that much money on something like this without the potential for making a profit? It just… made no sense.

But if some things were true, weren't all points worth looking into?

No, they needed proof before anyone would take this seriously. Although he was sure the Turks would likely look into it no matter what and would treat the issues portrayed with the gravitas that Angeal sensed would be a necessity when figuring out exactly what was going on.

Still...

He may as well look into it himself.

He flipped open his PHS and quickly found a mission he could take Zack on, snagged it and then flipped the device closed.

"Zack!"

The puppy just finished his form and turned to his mentor excitedly. Angeal could just imagine a tail wagging playfully behind him.

"Are you up for a mission?"

"Heck yeah!" Zack said with a fist-pump.

"Get your gear, then. We're heading to the slums."

The puppy blinked. "The… slums?"

xXx

Genesis sat in his room, on his bed, reading Loveless again. The problem was, he couldn't seem to focus on the words in front of him as his mind kept returning to the little 'get together' he'd just had with his two friends. (Well, one friend and one rival, but still.) Something about the whole thing just felt… off to him. He was sure he could let it go if he could just figure out _what_ rubbed him so wrong.

Like his fellow SOLDIERS, he'd noticed the jump between scarily accurate and completely off the mark that the game seemed to switch between, but his problem had something more to do with the main character. The fact that he was an Ex-SOLDIER. It would take years for someone to get through the training of a SOLDIER, let alone raised to SOLDIER first. And he knew that the creators of the game likely just made up a character… and yet.

Eventually, he snapped the book closed and set it aside as he rose and walked over to his computer. It wouldn't hurt just to see, right? It wasn't like Angeal and Sephiroth ever had to know he'd looked into it and found nothing.

He flipped the switch and waited for the computer to boot up before he began inputting commands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: SO, if you see any issues, let me know! If I forgot anything or if something doesn't work or contradicts itself... yeah. :) 
> 
> If you'd like, come check out my discord! discord.gg.ezzFnGJ aka Obi's Den of Geek and Writerings! Despite my Discord illiteracy, it seems to be going pretty well. Seeing people go and discuss my stories is... kind of awe inspiring. I'm humbled to know you guys like it so much. So thank you for reading this and any other story! 


	5. Investigating

"To your left, Zack!" Angeal yelled, then facepalmed as his student dodged right. "You're _other_ left," he said as the one of the monsters Zack was fighting, a group of whole eaters, managed to get a slash on him. Angeal's hand twitched and he almost made a move to rush forward, but no, Zack needed to figure this out on his own.

"Sorry," his student said, as he stood. Then he downed a potion, holding his sword in guard position as he prepared to attack again.

"Carefully," Angeal called. "Look for openings."

"What if there aren't any?" Zack almost whined. Almost.

The older man sighed. They were insects. There were openings. Lots of them. Still, a chance for a lesson here. "Then you either wear them down until they give you an opening, or you _make_ an opening. Force them to do something they aren't used to and exploit any uncertainties. You can also retreat."

"What?" Zack asked, turning his attention away from the monsters to look at Angeal, scandalized. One of the (far too large) insects got another hit on him and the first class winced. That one had to hurt.

"Zack, running away is sometimes the best thing you can do. If you are outmatched or out numbered, there is no shame in retreating and regrouping. Sometimes you have to lose the battle to win the war. Now, _concentrate_! I know you can do this!"

The younger man nodded, determination in his eyes as he readied his sword again. This had to be the fourth or fifth monster group Angeal had made him fight that night, and it had worn on him, but the SOLDIER first noted a greater certainty of movement in his protege now. He had a plan, or at least a path forward.

Readying the bolt materia he had in his bracer, he watched the nightmarish hoard of monsters regroup to rush at him. Angeal couldn't help his smile as his student waited for just the right moment to race forward and flip over the hoard just before they were about to jump and jammed his sword into the lead's head. Then he managed to slice through the other one and lastly, skewered the third and final one as it jumped for him. It still managed to get a good hit on Zack's chest, but it was a consolation prize at best.

It fell to the ground with a dying shriek as it, and its companions, began to dissolve into the lifestream. The SOLDIER first walked over to his protege and slapped him on the shoulder. He felt a little bad when the boy cringed with a pained grunt.

"Well done," he said proudly.

Zack smiled tiredly. "Thanks. Can I have one of your potions? I'm out."

Angeal frowned and cast his sense materia out. Zack had some bruising and minor fractures from that last hit (it must have gotten in a lucky shot), but nothing that wouldn't heal with a little rest, although it was likely rather painful. He sighed and shook his head. His student needed to learn to be more conservative with healing items.

"I gave the last of them to you before we came below plate."

The SOLDIER third groaned. "Right. A cure, then?"

The older man sighed. "Maybe this will teach you to dodge, or at least be better at managing your inventory," he admonished as he shook his head. "And concentrate. There's nothing wrong with you that a couple hours of rest won't fix."

"But Angeal," he practically whined again.

"Ah," Angeal held up his hand. "When you're in a hostile situation, you may not always have the mana to cure every little thing, or you may have to save it. Getting to know your body – and that sometimes means the pain you may have to go through – is a large part of becoming SOLDIER."

Zack sighed, holding his ribs with one arm. "It doesn't _feel_ like a little thing."

Angeal chuckled. "I had to go through this. Genesis had to go through this. Even Sephiroth. It's called conditioning. And, as much as I hate seeing you in pain – and I do – this is a good lesson to learn right now."

He looked around and his breath almost caught when he saw the steeple of a church a little ways off. They'd been wandering all over Sector 5 for most of the afternoon without finding anything. He'd almost given up on locating the church…

He glanced between the steeple and his aching student before sighing. If it was the church from the game, it should be safe enough for Zack to rest up in. Heck, if it was any church, they should be fine. If they ran into anything else, Angeal could take care of it.

As a mentor, he may be harsh, but he wasn't heartless.

"Come on. It looks like there's a place over here that will be safe enough for a little bit. You can rest up, and I'll keep watch."

He put a shoulder under his student's arm and began helping him along.

"Can't we just go back to headquarters?" Zack asked, his breath hitching as they hobbled along.

Angeal made a show of thinking about it. "Well, if you feel well enough to walk all the way back to the train station, and taking that bumpy train-ride up to the plate, and then walking all the way back to the ShinRa building—"

"Alright, alright!" the younger man cut him off. "You made your point."

Genesis would have been pouting and angry as he said something like that. Zack, despite his fatigue, just rolled his eyes, teasing. Sometimes he was such a breath of fresh air.

"Just focus on breathing and not straining anything else. Consider your lesson for the night over. You did well, pup. I'll take care of any other monsters we run into."

Zack nodded. "Okay. Thanks, 'Geal."

"Brat. I'm your mentor. Don't call me that." The admonition may have worked had he not had a blatant smile on his face.

The puppy just laughed, then winced a little. "Don't make me laugh. It hurts."

"You have bruised ribs with possible hairline fractures. Of course it will hurt a bit."

"Can't you cure it? Just a little?" Zack asked, sounding more like a five-year-old than the near eighteen-year-old he was.

It almost worked. Almost. Angeal really hated seeing his student like this and felt guilty for putting him through it… but then he remembered having to push through similar pain in the war and the consequences when he hadn't been able to.

No, this pain now was worth not putting Zack through that kind of pain later. "Sorry, Zack."

The teen's face crumbled and Angeal wasn't sure just how the boy had weaponized his emotions, but there it was. Still, he stood firm and looked ahead. It helped if he didn't look at his student.

And then his breath hitched because… there it was. A church. He couldn't even tell what denomination it had belonged to, but it was obviously abandoned now. The once pristine outer coating had long since faded away, leaving warped boards underneath. There were no windows on the front, although he could see several on the side, many of which had similarly warped boards nailed across them. Those that didn't held only broken, dirty glass. Trash piles had built up in front of the entire building, only leaving a small walk way leading to and around it.

Zack suddenly spoke up, drawing Angeal back from his own reverie. "Are you sure this'll be safe? It looks… haunted."

And that quickly, the somber mood broke – for Angeal at least – as he couldn't help the small laugh that escaped him. It did look rather foreboding. Besides, this might not even be the church the game had referenced. They hadn't really seen it from the outside.

"Well," he said with a grin still on his face, "I guess we do have time to catch that bumpy train ride…"

The teen groaned. "Fine. We'll try the haunted church."

Angeal chuckled. "You'll probably feel much better in an hour or so." Not healed, per se (that would take all night) but better.

Zack just grumbled under his breath, causing Angeal to chuckle again as they walked forward and opened the large doors. Angeal's smile disappeared. Inside it looked exactly like the church in the game, down to the broken pews in the back. And, up front, turning towards them was a girl in a white sun-dress with brown hair tied up in a pony tail.

The SOLDIER first felt his mouth drop open a little.

Despite half expecting it, this had officially taken a turn for the strange.

xXx

Genesis stared at the picture on the screen blankly, unable to muster anything but surprise. It might be easier to absorb and process the situation if he knew what exactly this implied… But honestly he didn't. And he didn't like the feeling that gave him either. The uncertainty…

Finally, after a good five minutes, he reached over and turned on his printer. Maybe he should look a little more into this.

xXx

Sephiroth couldn't help but blink in shock and more than a little worry at his own findings. With slow but steady hands, he reached for his phs. A couple of minutes later he held it up and took a picture. Then he did a little more crawling around (Genesis would _never_ find out about this indignity) and took more pictures than he thought might be strictly necessary, but he almost felt as if he needed them to convince himself as much as he did those who would be reading the upcoming report.

Ten minutes later he walked in a sort of daze (not that anyone who didn't know him well would be able to tell) out of the reactor. He crossed the bridge that would lead to the main walkway and studied the ground that should, according to the game, be pockmarked with holes at best, utterly destroyed at worst. At least _that_ wasn't true. Or… hadn't happened yet?

But then again, if the flaw he'd found was indeed there, then what about all that regarding Don Corneo?

With a grim set to his face, he boarded the train. Then he opened the shinra-net on his phs and looked up Wal Market.

xXx

The girl couldn't have been more than sixteen. Honestly, Angeal would have guessed fourteen or fifteen. She quickly stood, eyes wide in fear and a hand coming close to her mouth.

That, more than anything else, drew Angeal out of his mounting surprise. He managed to put a smile on his face.

"Sorry to barge in," he said. "We were just fighting some monsters around here and my friend got hurt. Do you mind if we rest here for a bit? Maybe an hour or so?"

She didn't relax, per se, but some of the tenseness left her shoulders.

"I… don't own the church," she said softly. If Angeal didn't have SOLDIER hearing, he doubted he would have heard it.

Apparently Zack heard it too, because he spoke next. "Are you sure? You sure look like an angel."

Angeal rolled his eyes, although the girl blushed and relaxed a bit more as a small smile poked at the corners of her lips.

"Alright, that's enough from you," the SOLDIER first said as he reached over and closed first one door, then the other. Zack drew in a sharp breath at being jostled a little and Angeal winced at having hurt him.

"Come on. Let's get you over to a bench." The lighting looked better up front, so he slowly helped Zack toward the girl, who continued to stand there, watching them cautiously. She seemed to tense up again with every step they took, so at about the third bench from the front, he decided that that would be close enough and helped Zack lie down on the old wood. He let out a breath of relief as he did so and Angeal couldn't help but smile softly.

"You'll thank me for this later."

"I still think you've been hanging around Genesis and Sephiroth too much," the younger man muttered. "More sadistic than you used to be."

Angeal frowned reprovingly, despite knowing that Zack couldn't see him. They'd known each other for almost a year now. How could he have possibly changed that much in that amount of time? "Zack," he reproached.

The SOLDIER third sighed.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Sorry."

Funny, he didn't sound too sorry. Angeal shook his head, unable to keep the fond, if exasperated, smile from his face. "Rest. Try not to move. Let me know when you start feeling better."

He turned back to the defensive girl still standing at the front of the Church. And, for the first time, Angeal saw what she was standing in front of.

Flowers.

He blinked.

Then he looked back at the girl, who shifted nervously.

"You don't need to worry. We won't hurt you."

She bit her lip, looking every bit like the inexperienced teenager she was. "You're… not here for me?"

Angeal frowned and opened his mouth to speak, but Zack spoke first from his position on the bench.

"Nope. But I'd still like to ask you for your number."

The girl blushed again. So, not as forward as the girl from the game… but then, the character had seemed older too. Of course, there was no way to tell with the graphics as they had been, but he still got the distinct impression that this girl was far younger.

"Rest! And hush!" Angeal shot at his student.

Zack pouted, but didn't speak again. At least right then.

"I'm Angeal," the older SOLDIER said with a polite nod of his head to the girl. "Angeal Hewley. This is Zachary Fair."

"Zack!" the boy protested. "Only my mother calls me Zachary."

The SOLDIER first smiled and shook his head, then turned expectantly to the girl.

"Aerith," she said softly, dipping into a small curtsy. "Aerith Gainsborough."

Angeal felt as if she'd socked him in the gut. Hard. Just for a moment.

Well, that answered that question. Aeris… Aerith… far too similar to not be a coincidence. That didn't even take into account her last name.

Swallowing back his confusion and shock, he smiled at her again. "A lovely name. And are you the reason that those flowers can grow here?"

She glanced over her shoulder at the vegetation. "I… suppose," she said hesitantly. "I just tend them and they grow. It isn't that difficult."

Angeal raised one eyebrow and went to sit on the front pew, moving cautiously so as not to spook her. She continued to watch him like a cornered mouse would a stalking cat.

"Is that so?" he asked. "Because I know experienced botanists on the plate who can't get anything to grow here."

Aerith bit her lip and looked away.

Angeal realized that he probably wouldn't be getting a much better response from her and sighed. "I promise you, we aren't here to hurt you or take you in any way."

She looked back at him, cautiously hopeful and plenty skeptical.

"Can you tell me why you'd think we were here for you?" he asked.

The girl studied him for several seconds, looking just about as confused as he felt, before she finally said, "Aren't you SOLDIER?"

Angeal nodded. "Yes, Miss. SOLDIER first class. Zack, back there," he thumbed over his shoulder "is a third class."

"I'll make second soon!" Zack proclaimed.

"Rest!" Angeal reminded him.

"Doesn't mean I can't talk!" his protege whined.

"You talk with your hands. Until we break you of that habit, _rest_." If they tied his hands, Angeal was convinced he wouldn't be able to utter more than a couple of words. Although, to be fair, he _was_ getting better.

He turned back to Aerith, who looked between the two of them again, seeming more relaxed than ever.

"So…" she said slowly, "you work for ShinRa?"

Again, Angeal nodded. Then he cocked his head to one side. "You think that ShinRa would be after you, then?"

She tensed right back up, clasping her hands to her chest. That was answer enough. Definitely not like the girl in the game. And yet…

"Please don't take me back," she suddenly blurted out. "I don't want to go back to that man… to that lab!"

Angeal felt his eyebrow raise and he sat back in surprise. "That man?" He repeated the words simply because he didn't know what else to say. Did that mean that Hojo really was after this girl, for whatever reason? (For being an Ancient? Whatever that meant.)

"Wait, lab?" Zack asked as he sat up, then he winced.

"Zack!" Angeal said sharply. The boy glanced between the two of them, then sighed and laid back down. The older SOLDIER looked back at the girl. "For future reference, continuing to deny it would have helped you more. However, I told you we have no intention of taking you anywhere. Especially if it has to do with Hojo."

For the first time, she looked surprised. "You… you don't?"

He shook his head. "We don't much care for Hojo in the SOLDIER department."

A loud snort from Zack.

"We have to put up with him, ourselves, so we have the," he coughed, " _pleasure_ of knowing him on a fairly personal level. I can most certainly understand not wanting to be anywhere near him. Truthfully, I don't know a SOLDIER that would actively help that man without a direct order. And we have no orders to so much as even report we met you here. As a matter of fact," he turned to his student's bench. "Zack, isn't this a lovely, if old and very _empty_ church?"

The teen remained quiet for several seconds before he snorted again, this time in amusement. "Yeah. Completely empty. No pretty girls tending an impossible garden here."

"Zack," Angeal admonished.

"I won't put this in any report! I have as many issues with Hojo as the next SOLDIER. Besides, what kind of hero just gives a girl up like that?"

Angeal nodded in satisfaction and turned back around with a pointed look. That cautiously hopeful expression had crept back onto her features, minus the skepticism. "You mean it?"

The SOLDIER first raised his hand to the side of his head, palm facing out. "I promise on my honor as a SOLDIER."

"He never breaks his promises," Zack volunteered.

She still looked hesitant, but then she finally relaxed and gave him a weak smile. Then she bowed. "Thank you," she said softly.

"No problem," Angeal replied easily. "Now, why don't you tell me more about yourself, and we'll tell you about us, and you can continue to tend your flowers."

Her smile grew, conveying her thanks. "Why don't you start, then?"

Eh, that was fair enough. "Well, as I said, my name is Angeal Hewley. My mother's name is Gilian and I was born in Banora…"

xXx

An hour's worth of small talk later, and Zack was well enough to head back to ShinRa. Not before they all exchanged phs numbers, though.

As they walked down the isle to the door, Aerith called out one final time. "Mr. Angeal."

He turned to her, still smiling softly. "Just call me Angeal. That's fine. I'm not that much older than you. But what is it?"

She bit her lip and then reached into a pocket on her skirt and pulled out some folded pieces of paper. "I got a note. It told me to wait here for… someone to come and to give this to them. I… don't understand it, but I think it was meant for you."

Frowning, he walked over and gently took the paper from her. The papers had been folded together in quarters. On the front, it said: _Give this to your guest at the Church today_.

Breath catching in his throat, he opened the papers titled: 'How To get Yuffie and Vincent in your party.' He stared at that for several seconds, then read through the following words.

"What is it?" Zack asked.

Angeal swallowed, then folded the papers back up. Somehow, he was positive this had to do with the game. He smiled at the girl. "Yes, I do believe this message was intended for me. Thank you. Do you have any idea who sent this to you?"

Aerith shook her head. "As I said, it was in the mailbox."

The SOLDIER first stared at her for several seconds, scrutinizing her. When he saw no deception in her body language or eyes, he sighed, then forced another smile. "Thank you again, then."

"Seriously, 'Geal, what is it?" Zack asked.

"Nothing of import, Zack. Just a comment about a current side project Sephiroth, Genesis and I are working on."

A pause, then. "Oh. Then why did they send that to Aerith?"

Angeal took a deep breath. "I don't know, Zack. I don't know."

Then, with one final farewell, the two SOLDIERS left, Zack walking steadily on his own. Angeal couldn't help but be proud. The boy had to still be in quite a bit of pain. They'd reached the edge of the street on which the church had been built and made to turn when a person in a blue suit strode out of the shadows to block their path.

It was the red-headed, new turk, Reno. Just like from the game. Yet another similarity.

"Yo!" the Turk said with a grin. "So, why were ya in that church over there?" he asked.

"Zack got hurt and we didn't want to take the train back before he healed up a little, so we went into the church to wait," Angeal explained easily, glancing over at a very confused Zack.

"Yeah. And what did ya find in there?"

Oh. So they _were_ protecting her.

From Hojo.

 _How_ did the game developer know that? Just how high up was this leak in ShinRa?

"What do you mean?" Angeal asked easily. "Were we supposed to find something? Because all I remember were some old wooden pews where we could lay Zack down for a while. Right, Zack?"

The boy's purple-blue eyes cleared a bit. "Oh. Right. Yeah. Once my SOLDIER healing kicked in, we just had to wait until I was feeling better."

"And you didn't just use a cure or a potion?" Reno asked, skepticism dripping from his voice. Angeal didn't take offense.

"We ran out of the former, and I decided it was a good opportunity for some conditioning," Angeal replied with a shrug. "Pain tolerance. It's just a couple of bruised ribs, but if he gets used to it now, it could save his life in the future."

Zack didn't reply this time, just staring Reno down firmly.

"Huh. Alright, if ya put anythin' else in yer reports, there will be problems."

Angeal shook his head. "We have no intention of reporting anything that wasn't strictly pertinent to the mission, but if you'd like, we could turn our reports into the Turks first to make sure they're… as detailed as they need to be."

The shark-like grin on Reno's face only accentuated his nod. "We'd appreciate it, yo."

Angeal returned the smile as an acknowledgment, then continued on his way, making sure to stay with Zack as he walked along. Despite the train ride being every bit as bumpy as they'd expected, the boy didn't complain once on their way back to headquarters.

xXx

Zack sighed and slumped as he closed the door to his room. His assigned roommate, Luxiriere, was already asleep, and he tried to be as quiet as possible as he dragged his still aching body over to his side of the room, and his very inviting bed. Tonight had been… weird. What had been up with the Turks and that girl and Angeal? He'd been acting a little off all night for some reason, but Zack couldn't put his finger on _why_ , exactly.

Another ping of pain from his ribs reminded him that he didn't want to think about it anymore tonight. Although, he'd definitely text the cute girl (who appeared to be on the run from Hojo, though the Turks were protecting her… who'da thunk it?) in the morning.

Sighing in relief, he sat on the edge of his bed and reached down to take off his boots and threw them on the floor. Then he turned, prepared to just flop onto his face and sleep on the covers tonight when he saw something there. A small package.

He glanced over at his roommate, but (unsurprisingly) got no response. Frowning, he picked the package up and read the label. It was addressed to him.

His frown deepened as he ripped the box open, (Gaia, even _that_ hurt) and peered inside. A small case met his eyes. He tipped the package upside down and caught what fell out. It was a game for one of his small, hand-held devices. Weird. Who'd sent him this? He looked on the label again, but found nothing. No return address, no postage stamps, no other labels…. He inspected the game and case more closely.

"Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core," he said aloud, albeit softly. Huh. He'd never heard of it. Unusual, he tended to be fairly on top of new games, even if he couldn't buy or play them (not with his schedule). Well, this wasn't exactly unwelcome. Since Angeal had commandeered his game station he'd been particularly bored. (It had only been a day, but still...)

Hey, wait… was that a SOLDIER on the front? A SOLDIER with a _buster_ _sword_? Was that Angeal? Was he the main character? How cool was that?! He couldn't help but break out into a huge grin. Angeal finally got a game made after him! Someone had finally realized how awesome his mentor was! Oh, this was gonna be so epic!

Another zing from his ribs and he sighed. Tomorrow. It would be epic tomorrow. Tonight, he just needed sleep.

He placed the case on his rather cluttered nightstand and proceeded to flop onto his bed again, more than happy to wait for the morning when the pain should be gone. In moments, he was out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: This hasn't been beta read. ^^;
> 
> Sooo, I don't know if anyone here knows, but I'm a professional artist. Maybe not a great one, but a professional one at least. Have a degree and everything. Would anyone be interested in watching me draw scenes and/or characters from my fanfics and/or original stories? Let me know!
> 
> Come discuss on discord: discord.gg.ezzFnGJ aka Obi's Den of Geek and Writerings


	6. Aftermath and Conclusions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Everyone gets up to date with everyone else… well, mostly.

Angeal sat at the cafeteria table in the SOLDIER dining room he and his fellow firsts tended to commandeer whenever they happened to be there. He'd told Zack to take their normal morning exercises off to make sure his ribs had healed completely (and was fully planning on finally casting a cure before they actually began their work together that day – he hoped the boy had learned his lesson by now) and currently sat alone, picking at his breakfast and staring into space.

He couldn't help but go over what he'd learned the previous night and was fully planning on giving Sephiroth and Genesis a run-down to see what their opinions were. Some of the things the game producers knew… And just what was an Ancient? And why would ShinRa need one? He'd need Genesis and Sephiroth's help to get to some of that information though. He'd never been particularly good at computers. Genesis was better, and Sephiroth the best of the three of them. Not to mention, Sephiroth had, more or less, an in to the Science department through his rather unwanted weekly sessions with Hojo. Hojo who seemed to be willing to humor Sephiroth more than any of the rest of them in any case… but how to bring it up to his friend?

Before he could contemplate that more, movement out of the corner of his eye had him turning to see the very subject of his thoughts come striding towards him, tray in hand.

"Angeal," the light-haired man said as he took his customary seat near the wall. Angeal gave him a nod and a smile.

"Morning," he said as cheerily as he could. "How did you sleep?"

A pause… "Well," Sephiroth said slowly.

Angeal frowned. "You… didn't sleep, did you."

"I was rather busy last night."

"With what?" Angeal asked.

Sephiroth regarded him for a couple of moments before taking out his PHS and handing it over to his friend. On the screen was a glitchy camera feed into one of ShinRa's cells. A rotund man in a garish, red, fur-lined overcoat sat curled up in one corner, rocking back and forth as he held his knees.

The dark-haired man blinked.

"Is that…?"

Sephiroth nodded and reached for his PHS again. "Don Corneo. I discovered him and his human trafficking ring last night." He pushed a few more buttons and handed it to Angeal again. "Here is my proof."

The General had been thorough if nothing else. He had pictures of half-naked girls cowering away from Corneo and his men. He had pictures of documents, shipment tracking, a list of several clients…

Angeal whistled. "You just uncovered all of this last night?"

Sephiroth nodded.

"How?"

The silver-haired man didn't answer for a couple of seconds. Then he said, "I may have… sneaked into his base."

Angeal's eyebrows rose. "You what?!"

He wasn't sure what surprised him the most, the fact that Sephiroth had done this (and through less-than-legal means) or the fact that the man could _sneak_ at all. He tended to be a little on the… obvious side.

"If anyone asks, I was invited in."

"You showed up at the door and demanded entrance, didn't you."

That sounded far more like his friend.

"Perhaps."

Angeal snorted. "Well, while I'm a little worried at the power vacuum that creates, I'm also very impressed. Although you could have called me. I would have been happy to help. I hope you got the girls to their homes…"

Sephiroth's face darkened. "I did, but some of them… didn't have homes."

The dark-haired SOLDIER frowned. "So, what did you do?"

"I… got them jobs. When they're out of the infirmary, of course."

Angeal blinked. "Jobs? Infirmary?"

"Low level secretarial jobs, but it should help them until they can find something of their own. I also arranged for them to have some local housing. It's on the cheaper side, mostly single-room apartments, but… it's something. Paid through to the end of the year. When I informed some of them they… er… cried." He looked distinctly uncomfortable at that.

The dark-haired man was staring openly at his superior officer now.

"How did you get the money for that?" Angeal asked.

"I… paid for it myself."

Angeal's jaw dropped open.

"It isn't as if I have much else to spend my paycheck on," Sephiroth pointed out, still looking uncomfortable (which was a little surreal – Sephiroth never looked uncomfortable).

This… this was a side to Sephiroth that Angeal had never seen. He… kind of hoped he'd see more of it, actually. Actively working to make the city a better place and helping out victims simply because he _could_ … just… wow.

"Sephiroth, I'm…" 'Impressed just didn't have the right depth to his feeling. "Why?" he finally asked instead.

The silver-haired man frowned. "They needed it."

Angeal just stared at his friend for several more seconds before he snorted softly and shook his head. "Not that I ever doubted you, but it's no wonder you're the SOLDIER the PR team focuses on." Talk about an 'inspiration'.

Sephiroth's puzzlement intensified as he cocked his head at his friend. "I… don't think I understand that statement."

Angeal just smiled and shook his head. "I'll explain it later. In the mean time, I… may have done a bit of investigating on my own last night."

"Oh?"

The dark-haired man nodded. "I took Zack on a training mission to Sector Five. I found—" before he could finish that, a loud bang had him jumping and curling his fists in preparation to fight, but once he saw Genesis with his hand on a folder (one he'd apparently just slammed onto the table), he relaxed.

"You need to see this," the redhead said, then slid the folder over to Sephiroth (who had gone back to looking unruffled of course). The General picked the folder up carefully, quirking an eyebrow at Genesis. He opened the folder, and his eyes widened. Then he looked back up at the red-head, who nodded. Then he looked back at the folder, beginning to turn through the papers inside. There weren't a lot of them.

Once he finished, he closed the folder, looked at it for several seconds, then handed it over to a very curious Angeal. Taking the folder, he opened the page to see the face of a youth staring back at him, a mass of spiky blond hair on his head that somehow resembled chocobo plumage. Below the picture, in bold letters, read the name: Cloud Strife.

For the second time that morning, his jaw fell open and he looked up at Genesis who nodded at him too. Neither name was all that usual.

"Cloud… Strife?"

Genesis sighed as he took his own seat (food nowhere in site, Angeal would have to make sure he ate later). "Age fourteen. He's a cadet aiming for the SOLDIER program."

Angeal began to look through the information on him.

"Nibelheim?" he asked. "Where is that?"

"I looked it up," Genesis said. "It's on the map in the back. Western Continent, mountain town, small… nothing but a reactor there, basically."

"And he came all the way here to join SOLDIER?" Angeal asked, a little impressed (that had been something that had drawn him to Zack initially as well).

Genesis nodded. "He did."

"Is he good enough to get into the SOLDIER program?" Sephiroth asked.

The red-head sighed. "I did go and watch him in his morning exercises. The boy is… small. Very small. He has fast reflexes and a decent amount of stamina for his size and body type, but it's obvious that he's taught himself anything he knows when it comes to fighting. There are a _great many_ bad habits he'll have to break before he can even think about getting into SOLDIER. I don't think cadet training will give him the time or attention he needs to address anything, let alone help him overcome them. I'd have him pegged for an infantry man at best – and as the file says, he's going into said infantry in about two weeks. Maybe in a couple of years he could revisit the idea of becoming a SOLDIER third."

Silence all around as everyone digested that.

Then Genesis added on, "I also checked into his family. He has none other than his mother. Both she and his father are listed as only children, and Strife himself is an only child. No connections outside of his home town, as far as I can see."

"Why would the game developers target and choose a small boy from the middle of nowhere with no connections whatsoever to be the main character in their 'futuristic' game?" Angeal asked, voicing the question they were all thinking.

"Why would they make up some nonsense about a flaw in the Sector Five Reactor?" Genesis asked with a shrug.

Angeal was about to concede the point when Sephiroth spoke up.

"They didn't make that up."

More silence.

"What?!" Genesis practically hissed.

"Before I went to Wall Market last night, I—"

"Wait, Wall Market?" the red-head asked.

"He'll explain in a minute," Angeal said. "Let him finish."

Sephiroth nodded his thanks and continued on, ignoring Genesis' mutterings. "I stopped by the Sector Five reactor." He began to look through pictures on his PHS again before handing it over to Genesis, whose expression melted from one of annoyance into one of surprise as he thumbed through each picture. Then he looked up at Sephiroth, who nodded. There seemed to be a lot of that going on today.

Sitting back in his chair, Genesis gave a low whistle before handing the PHS over to Angeal. He felt he'd been rather patient in waiting for it.

On the screen he saw what was obviously a reactor and a pipe leading up to a grate in the wall. Then they were in front of the grate… then the grate was gone, leaving a large crawl space. More pictures and the crawl space opened up to a larger walkway… which led to some obviously _not_ reactor areas…

Angeal's mouth dropped open _again_.

There were only so many shocks one could take in one day.

Eventually he closed the PHS, staring at it for several seconds, before handing the device back to its owner.

"Now, what is this about Wall Market?" Genesis asked.

Sighing, Sephiroth explained. Once he finished, Genesis just stared at him. " _Legend shall speak, Of sacrifice at world's end. The wind sails over the water's surface, Quietly, but surely._ _My friend your desire is the bringer of life! The gift of the Goddess!_ _"_

The other two stared at him.

"You're a saint. That is the only explanation." He said it with a completely deadpan expression.

Angeal snorted, trying to cover his laughter. That was probably the best anyone would get from Genesis. Angeal was thinking more 'Angel', but 'Saint' worked too.

Sephiroth looked as puzzled as ever. "I am not religious."

Genesis turned his pleading expression onto Angeal, who just shrugged his shoulders and shook his head.

"In any case," Angeal decided to change the subject back to his own findings. "I was just telling Sephiroth how I took Zack down to Sector Five last night for a training mission."

"How is that relevant to _anything_ we've been discussing?" Genesis asked, a little put off.

The dark-haired man raised an eyebrow at him. "I found the Church."

The other two stared at him.

"And the flowers." More staring. "And the girl."

"You what?" Genesis practically hissed again, probably trying not to draw attention.

"She's significantly younger than I suspect the game makes her out to be – unsure of herself and very worried… and I need your word that this next piece of information goes no further than this table…"

The other two continued to stare at him before Sephiroth rose, half-finished tray in hand. "Perhaps we should retire to my room for a couple of minutes?"

The other two nodded and rose themselves. Several minutes later, they were on their way to Sephiroth's quarters. Once they arrived and had shut and locked the door, they all checked for bugs. They found a couple, and then Genesis took out what looked to be a jammer of some sort and set it on the table. Angeal stared at it for several seconds.

"You just carry that around with you?" he asked.

" _Pride is lost,_ _Wings stripped away, the end is nigh._ " Genesis shrugged. "I'm paranoid."

That… was news to Angeal. His friend had always been the one to put up a confident front. Maybe he'd found bugs in his apartment recently? Angeal had once before as a SOLDIER second, and it had not been a pleasant discovery.

"You were saying, Angeal?" Sephiroth cut in before Genesis could respond. Trust him to keep them on track.

The dark-haired SOLDIER sighed. "She's on the run, from Hojo."

More staring. He wondered if keeping a mental tally of how often that happened would be worth it.

"What?" Sephiroth asked this time.

"And the Turks are protecting her. Reno confronted us both when we left, Practically threatened us to not report anything about her."

"The Turks are protecting her… from Hojo," Genesis repeated slowly, as if he couldn't quite comprehend the idea. Angeal didn't blame him.

"Does that mean they're protecting her from the President too?" Angeal asked.

The three SOLDIERS looked at each other for several seconds.

Then Angeal decided that discretion was the better part of Valor. "No. It couldn't be."

"Of course not," Genesis agreed. "The Turks are so fanatically loyal to the President, they couldn't possibly be hiding something like this from him."

"Unless it's for his own good, and the good of the company," Sephiroth mused. That… really said a lot about the company they worked for. At least they all seemed to agree that turning a teen-aged girl over to Hojo's scruples would be unethical at best.

Angeal took a deep breath and continued his explanation. "There's one more thing. She said she found this in her mailbox." He took out the papers she'd given him the previous night and handed them to the nearest person, Genesis. "I asked her who could have possibly sent it. She didn't know, and I believe her. I don't think she could lie. Not well enough to fool me."

" _Dreams of the morrow hath the shattered soul._ That doesn't mean we shouldn't keep an eye on her," Genesis muttered as he looked the papers over. "There are familiar game controls here."

Angeal nodded. "And some areas outside of Midgar that have been mentioned."

"How did they – whoever they are – know to send it to her?" Genesis wondered.

"I don't know," Angeal said, sighing. "I picked that mission out at random and rather impulsively. I did not make any plans to be there."

They all shot uneasy looks at each other.

"So," Genesis finally spoke up, "the question of the century, then: What conclusions can we draw from this information and what can we do with it?"

Angeal appreciated him putting the question into words. He had a point. So he decided to clarify more. "Who would make a game, apparently about the future, that targets both a child from the middle of nowhere on another continent and a child who has escaped from Hojo's lab now living under the Plate in Midgar?"

"Who both seem very different from what I could tell," Genesis muttered.

"Explain," Sephiroth said, puzzled.

Genesis shrugged. "The boy, Cloud, is small and with the exception of his hair, doesn't really stand out in a crowd. The girl, on the other hand – at least from what I can tell from you, Angeal…"

Angeal frowned, thinking back on his encounter with the girl. "She looks rather normal, if a little cleaner than most slum-dwellers." And wasn't that a sad thought? "But she has… a presence." He could see it even through her shyness and fear. There had been something about her… but he couldn't put his finger on what. So he shook his head. "I can't explain it."

"The boy was born and raised in the mountains, a typical country child in so many ways," Genesis continued.

"Aerith is a city girl. She's quieter and seems far kinder than most I run across, but she knows where to go in the city, knows what to look out for and is very self aware of her surroundings," Angeal added on. As their conversation had continued the previous night, she'd almost blossomed before their eyes, even getting to a point where she'd been laughing and joking with the both of them by the end, albeit reluctantly.

"This same person who targeted them would have to have knowledge of our movements," Sephiroth pointed out, "If they knew where Angeal was going to give him that. Her receiving the note was a message in and of itself."

Genesis shook his head. "I'd say it was a group. It would have to be… although they would have had to start work on this production long before Strife showed up here."

"Before he'd even reached teenhood," Angeal muttered.

"But what is the connection?" Genesis asked. "As far as I can tell, no one of these 'characters' who somehow appear in real life has anything in common with each other."

"Except that they both play rolls in this… game," Sephiroth said.

That brought yet another long silence.

"Weren't we going to turn this over to the Turks?" Angeal asked after a moment. "I mean, we can put things together, sure, but we aren't trained for investigation like they are. And with how they know about about Aerith…"

"Why do you call her 'Aerith' and not 'Aeris'?" Sephiroth asked.

The dark-haired soldier shrugged. "It's what she called herself."

"Hmm."

More quiet. Angeal was really getting annoyed with these.

"Perhaps we should… finish the game," Sephiroth finally put forth sounding far more hesitant than Angeal though he'd ever heard the man. "It could provide more information to work with."

"I have work to do," the third in command said. "With Zack if nothing else. But I also didn't get a lot of paperwork done yesterday."

Genesis looked bummed. Well, for Genesis. Then he looked thoughtful and Angeal prepared himself. "This… is rather important. Or, it could be. Would it be so bad to take another day off to investigate something that may be a threat to the company?"

Angeal sighed and put a hand to the bridge of his nose. His best friend wasn't _wrong_ per se, and he _really_ did not want to go back to all that paperwork…

"Done," Sephiroth said, taking out his phs.

"What?!" both the other SOLDIERS asked, looking in shock at the General.

"We all have accumulated sick days. It won't be difficult to leave the office as it is for one more day."

"We aren't sick," Angeal, the _responsible_ one among them, apparently, pointed out.

"Then treat it as a personal day," Sephiroth replied.

"Those are for recuperating from traumatizing incidents."

Sephiroth snorted softly. "We have all had traumatizing incidents according to the company definition."

"Won't it look a little strange?" Angeal asked, almost begging at this point. "Taking those days _now_ instead of, you know, _just_ _after the incident_?"

The General shrugged again. "We are going to report our findings anyway. We have a day to finish this before we must return to work, so I suggest we do so quickly."

This time, the largest of the three of them groaned and dropped his forehead into his hands. Then he looked at his watch. Barely after nine. He should call the puppy.

xXx

Zack couldn't _believe_ it! The game was about _him!_ Not Angeal! And he was just… _epic!_

And how cool was it that Angeal had let him have the morning off so he could play it! Not that there weren't some major fallacies, but the graphics were pretty cool. He'd seen better, but it wasn't bad either. He'd just gotten past the intro when his phs started ringing. Putting the game on pause, he picked up the call.

"Fair," he said.

"Zack," Angeal replied, "something has… come up. Take the whole day off."

Zack, who had been about to tell his mentor about the awesomeness that was this game, hesitated, mind immediately jumping to worry. Angeal never took days off. He sat up.

"Is everything alright?" he asked, not even wincing at the movement. He still felt a small ache from his ribs, but nothing he couldn't completely ignore. Especially compared to last night. If Angeal was doing this to baby him...

"It's fine, Zack. I just have a mission. A personal mission."

Oh. Well. That was okay. Still strange for Angeal, but SOLDIERS did get personal missions. Besides, he was giving Zack the day off… and he had said everything was fine.

"Um… okay. If you're sure."

"I'm sure. You heal up from yesterday."

"Yeah," he replied. Then he smiled. "I'll make sure to text Aerith too."

A sigh. "Zack, don't mention her name over the PHS. Or aloud… at all." Zack winced and looked around the otherwise empty room. Luxiere had gone already, so at least no one was there to overhear him.

"Right. Sorry."

"You need to be careful, Zack. Being aware of what you're saying and who you're putting in danger is a part of your honor."

"Yes, sir," he replied, a little down.

"I have to go, Zack. Rest well. Only contact me in case of an emergency, alright?"

The SOLDIER third nodded, then realized Angeal couldn't see him. "Yes, sir."

"Good. I'll hold you to that, Zack. Goodbye."

"Bye, 'Geal," he replied.

Another sigh and then he hung up. Zack looked down at his PHS, flipped it closed and then flopped back on his bed. He heard the game unpause as his elbow smacked it and grimaced. He wasn't in the middle of a fight, but still.

It was only then he realized he hadn't told Angeal anything about it and let out a loud cry. "NOOOO!"

Ah, well. He'd just have to tell him tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I already have Zack's timeline and reactions (mostly) figured out, but we won't likely see them or the fruition of them for... a while. It takes anywhere from 10 to 12 hours to play through Crisis Core if one is just going in for the story. By that time, the SOLDIERS get to Nibelheim in the game, and so that's going to be a bit. Even then, we're likely not going to get anything from him until well after Wutai and possibly as far in as the Temple of the Ancients as that's about how far they can get playing all day and all night as first-timers.
> 
> I'm trying to get some time together to stream drawings on discord. I'm hoping to get it up within the next couple of weeks. If you have any particular scenes you would like me to draw, you can recommend them here or on my discord: discord.gg.ezzFnGJ aka Obi's Den of Geek and Writerings. The community is still a little slow right now as I'm still getting used to running it, and my friend who helps me moderate tends to be a bit fixated on her own stories, but she's been a HUGE help when she didn't have to lift a finger (honestly, it likely wouldn't have happened at all without her), so I ask that anyone who goes there be patient with us. I am always open to questions and discussions for any of my stories there, though.
> 
> Also, it seems I got my timeline wrong. :/ Nibelheim didn't happen until 0002, almost four years after this. And it was late 0002 according to the Wikia. SO this is TECHNICALLY four years before the Nibelheim incident. Also, supposedly Sephiroth is 18, maybe 19 at the original starting point of this fic. So teenage rebellion still stands. Genesis and Angeal are supposedly all the same age, but I'm going to maintain that Genesis is the oldest, being born in early 1980, Angeal came next in early to mid 1980 and Sephiroth came last at the very end of 1980. I'll go back and change this. Zack is born in 1984, Aerith in 1985 and Cloud in 1986. Zack left for ShinRa in 1997 (I'm going to say Zack was born early in the year and left for ShinRa late 1997 when he was 13 almost 14 and entered before he actually turned 14, but only just so - likely with permission from his parents). So Zack enters ShinRa at end of 1997/beginning of 1998 and catches the eye of one Angeal Hewley, who takes him on as a protege pretty soon after that. This story happens at the end of 1999 and Crisis Core happens at the end of 0000 (the equivalent of 2000). Seriously, according to the wikia, taking Fort Tamblin occurs in October or the equivalent thereof. This story takes place sometime in November about a year before that. So yeah... I will go back and change that. Apologies.
> 
> Heh, this is definitely my favorite chapter so far, but there is one particular chapter I'm REALLY looking forward to in the future. :3 
> 
> And thank you to everyone who has read this so far!


	7. Back To The Game

Sephiroth actually fished out some notebooks from _somewhere_ and handed them to Genesis and Angeal with instructions to take notes as they got the game started up.

"Doesn't the great General Sephiroth have an eidetic memory?" Genesis asked haughtily. He still took the notebook. The General didn't even bother to roll his eyes in response. Instead, he fished out the snacks they had left there yesterday. The pile was rather depleted, but the fact that he'd kept them all seemed to amuse Angeal.

Again, Sephiroth ignored his friend and simply set the food on the table before sitting down and taking up the controller. Then they focused on the screen as the picture faded back into the clearing around Aerith's house.

Sephiroth walked Cloud inside, where they saw Elmyra standing with her back to them. She spoke first and the SOLDIERS read along as the group told her about Aeris' (Aerith's?) kidnapping. (Which still didn't make complete sense. If the Turks were watching her, why would they kidnap her?)

"They took her from the house?" Genesis asked, frowning.

"She got there awfully fast," Angeal commented. "The fight under the pillar didn't take _that_ long."

"More game logic?" Sephiroth postulated.

Genesis snorted and Angeal smiled. "You're probably not wrong," the latter said.

They remained silent as Elmyra spoke of Aeris as an Ancient, the only living one, apparently, and then explained what an Ancient is through stories. How she, Aeris' adopted mother (which really made a lot of sense) met the girl and her uncanny ability to know things she probably shouldn't. That no one should…

"So…" Angeal said, his voice sounding a little thick, as if he were still processing, "Ancients can speak to the planet?"

"Do people's souls return to the planet when they die?" Sephiroth heard himself ask, because the game certainly implied that. He'd heard the theory before, but Hojo had dismissed it as nonsense… Then again, Hojo tended to dismiss a lot of things as nonsense.

Neither of the other two seemed to have an answer for him.

"Ancients will lead us to a land of happiness…" Angeal muttered, reading what was on the screen.

"'Us?' Or 'ShinRa?'" Genesis asked dryly.

Sephiroth swallowed the response that came immediately to mind. 'Is there a difference?' Apparently yes, yes there was.

"She will bring happiness to the Slums?" the red-head continued derisively. "Please. If the President somehow wants her to lead them to this 'land of happiness', he won't care about the slums."

"Genesis," Angeal said, voice warning.

"My jammer is still on."

Which worried Sephiroth about yesterday, actually… but then, he was sure he could negotiate with the Turks. Especially with this game…

"Why didn't they just take Aeris and… silence Elmyra?" Sephiroth asked. It would have been fairly easy, even if that thought did make Sephiroth uncomfortable. Especially if they were referring to a real person and not just some rendition on a projection screen.

The other two SOLDIERS turned to look at him, Angeal looking horrified, Genesis looking thoughtful.

"They must need her cooperation," the shortest of the three of them mused.

That made sense, Sephiroth supposed, although there were other ways to procure her cooperation.

Almost as if in response to his thought…

"Marlene survived!" Angeal said with a release of breath indicating his relief. So Sephiroth wasn't the only one who seemed to be getting unnaturally attached to these character (and possibly real life) representations…

Barrett went upstairs and Sephiroth guided Cloud to speak to Elmyra again, which started an entirely new conversation

"What?" Genesis asked, shocked. "They're going to try and break her out… of ShinRa? Are they crazy?"

"I think… many of them have proven desperate enough to seem so," Sephiroth pointed out.

The other two conceded the point with silence.

Eventually, the game more or less told them they needed to go to Wall Market again. With a wary glance between the three of them (and with Sephiroth trying not to remember his venture there the previous night), they set off.

The next half hour of gameplay consisted of Sephiroth trying to find a way up to the Plate while Genesis scoffed at the inaccuracies and unbelievability of the game. He seemed to be trying particularly hard…

Sephiroth didn't blame him. The idea that the game could represent real events (from the future) was an… unsettling one, and likely not the answer anyway, so he didn't have any problems with the red-head's comments.

Eventually, they (rather ridiculously – seriously, climbing and swinging on rubble?) got up to the Plate and stood in front of the Shinra building. Sephiroth walked them up to the front doors and the save point.

Genesis snorted. "They're already on the cameras."

The characters began to talk again before he could get to the save point, annoyingly.

"He doesn't know the building?" Genesis asked, frowning. "If he were a third class, or even a second I could understand that, but unless everything changed drastically…"

Sephiroth agreed. After all, they were in the ShinRa building now.

"At least Barrett seems to know what he's talking about," the red-head continued, still frowning. "Which… actually worries me a little."

Having an Eco-terrorist know even that much about the building was… a little uncomfortable, but it wasn't as if it were a secret either. Levels above 60 required pass cards. Still, that a former SOLDIER wouldn't know that, but his terrorist friend did… maybe that was what bothered him about it. The inconsistency. It didn't seem to be an overlooked inconsistency, but a purposeful one. Like there was something to all of Cloud's contradictions.

And he had many of them.

Sephiroth vaguely wondered if the 'real' Cloud had such inconsistencies… perhaps he'd have to arrange a meeting?

"The security is light?" Genesis had gone back to scoffing. "They just dropped a _plate_. If they don't have security, it's a trap."

"Or game logic," Sephiroth pointed out.

"I refused to suspend my disbelief that far. If this isn't a trap, it's a flaw."

"Then take the stairs," Angeal said, agreeing with Tifa.

"I know the stairs they speak of. Surely it isn't that easy to get into the ShinRa building…" Genesis started strong but faded off at the end, glancing at Sephiroth unsurely.

"Perhaps one of us should… go and verify?" the silver-haired man suggested.

Silence met his words. Then Angeal sighed. "I'll go do it. You two keep playing, but be ready to explain everything once I get back."

With that, he turned and walked out of the apartment.

Sephiroth looked to Genesis once the door closed. The commander nodded and they turned back to the game.

Naturally, Sephiroth took the stairs.

And had to move Cloud up every. Single. Flight.

It was almost as exhausting to watch them climb like that as it would be to actually take the stairs.

"Well, this is monotonous," Genesis muttered, folding his arms in a huff.

"Indeed," Sephiroth agreed.

It took them far too long to reach the top. And when they did, the guards on that floor were nothing short of incompetent.

"That… isn't completely accurate," Genesis said, sounding uneasy.

Sephiroth agreed because while it wasn't completely accurate, it wasn't _in_ accurate either. More support for the leak.

He pushed further on into the building, because, of course, they just _happened_ to find a keycard to level 60. Convenient.

"They've set this up to let us win," Sephiroth muttered.

Genesis scoffed. "Of course they did. People wouldn't play it otherwise."

The General didn't say anything, but he did frown. This felt too much like manipulation to him. People leaving certain clues instead of letting him find out for himself. He much preferred the real world.

After a moment of thinking about that, he turned to Genesis and held the controller out. "We should all take turns," he said calmly.

His friend blinked at him, then looked down at the controller, then back up at Sephiroth. Then he shrugged.

"Very well."

And they forged on.

xXx

The building was full of far more puzzles and connected air vents than the real building (this one Sephiroth knew from experience – he'd grown up on these floors, after all). Also, the man watching the cameras seemed to be conveniently falling asleep. How far the discipline of the company had fallen was nothing short of appalling.

Genesis found the timing of the guards (something that was somewhat decent at least) to be very frustrating, but they eventually got past it. No sooner had they then Angeal came back in looking a little pale.

They paused the game and looked to him expectantly.

"Yes," he said quietly. "There is a door around the back and it was easy to open… I couldn't see any cameras."

The other two SOLDIERS stared at him for several seconds.

Then Genesis said what they were all thinking. "I take it back. Our company is incompetent even now."

That would change.

Very soon.

Angeal came back to sit between them, grabbing a snack on the way and ripping it open. Sephiroth and Genesis watched him worriedly for a few moments, but just waved them on.

"What happened while I was gone?" he asked.

"We climbed stairs, found a key card and made it to level 61," Sephiroth explained. "Also, I gave the controller to Genesis."

Angeal blinked. "Oh? Why?"

Sephiroth didn't want to explain how annoying he found it currently. He was sure that feeling would fade soon anyway, so he shrugged. "No reason. We should just take turns is all."

"I'm talking to these people," Genesis cut in, "and they aren't even remotely aware that there was a fight on the floor below. This is ridiculous."

Well, they actually found one person who knew about the hubub below… but Sephiroth couldn't help but feel more and more appalled, because this was not a very secure security system.

Then they ran into more useless puzzles.

"Why would half of these requirements be necessary?" Sephiroth asked. Sorting books… really?

"I was thinking the same thing," Angeal said with a shrug.

"To keep it interesting, perhaps?" Genesis said.

Well, it wasn't succeeding. Sephiroth was just getting annoyed.

They eventually got to the next floor, ran into ShinRa propaganda (no surprise there… although why they would have propaganda in the game, Sephiroth didn't know. Also coupons and doors and…

"This is a little ridiculous," Angeal said. Then he popped the last of his snack into his mouth.

It took them another twenty minutes to get past the next few floors and to level 65.

"Their knowledge of supposedly secret layouts is a little… worrying," Angeal said. "The game designers, I mean."

"We were just talking about that before you came back," Genesis said as he looked around for what his next puzzle would be.

Instead, he found a bathroom.

And a vent.

That connected to the vent above one of the main board rooms…

The three SOLDIERS looked at each other.

"I'm playing," Genesis said.

"I went on the last one," Angeal pointed out.

Sephiroth sighed. It would take him maybe ten minutes to check that out. "Very well," he said.

"Why don't we see where this leads first?" Genesis asked.

Sephiroth shrugged and relaxed back against the couch again. He knew he wasn't the only one who had complained about the smell in said board room before… and that worried him.

They watched as Reeve read off a report of 10 billion gil for the drop of the sector 7 plate. Sephiroth could believe it. Actually, if anything, it sounded a little on the low side. The cost to actually rebuild it would be even more.

As if reading his thoughts, the camera switched to inside the room as Reeve began on that very subject only to be interrupted by the president.

"What?" Angeal and Genesis asked at the same time. Sephiroth too felt some shock. Why wouldn't the president want to try and sweep this all under the rug like he usually did?

He said something about the 'Neo-Midgar' plan. Angeal and Sephiroth exchanged glances. Neither one of them had heard anything about that. Of course, that didn't mean anything, but this could easily just be something made up for the game.

Then Reeve said something about the Ancients.

"Aerith?" Angeal asked, sounding a bit worried.

This time Sephiroth glanced over at his friend with a frown on his face. He was reacting to this as if it were true…. Although it would make sense for ShinRa to want to capture Aerith – Aeris, he mentally corrected himself – if they had an actual plan for her. A little too much sense for him to be comfortable with where the game seemed to be going. Although why she would be some key to everything he couldn't fathom.

"The Promised land?" Genesis asked, then turned to the other two. "Have either of you heard anything of the like?"

The two SOLDIERS shook their heads.

"Not outside of the game,"Angeal said.

Genesis frowned and continued to play.

Palmer asked for money from a rate hike. The President practically ignored him. Actually, Sephiroth was surprised Reeve would be included in any funds that came back from the rate hike. Urban Development was notoriously underfunded and he couldn't see that changing any time soon. And this had to be some time within the next couple of years for all the board members to be the same.

Although…

"Where is Lazard?" he asked. The other to paused and looked between him and the screen.

"You're right," Angeal muttered. "And Hojo isn't there either."

"Game inaccuracies, or potential prophecy?" Genesis asked dramatically. Sephiroth wished he could roll his eyes at that proclamation.

Of course, Heidegger laughed and endorsed the rate hike, simply for having a rate hike. Well, they'd gotten his character down, in any case. Sephiroth tended to find the man… mediocre at best. He was rarely at his best. Why the President kept him around Sephiroth didn't know. He wasn't _in_ competent, per se, but he wasn't the best for the job of running the army either. He was a creature of habit and hadn't updated more or less any of his policies regarding the military for years.

And right about then, almost as if to spite them, Hojo walked onto the screen.

Sephiroth stopped his lip from curling, but it was a near thing.

Then the President asked him how the girl was doing and the General winced in sympathy. Empathy, actually. He doubted she'd had a pleasant stay at the ShinRa building.

Then he reminded himself that she was just a representation and a grouping of pixels and nothing more.

The ability for the game to suck even him in like that was… disturbing. Once they turned it over to the Turks, he'd have to mention that. He didn't know how someone could program a game to do that, but it would be something worth looking into.

The fact that there were just too many true facts about the game had something to do with it too…

Hojo sprouted off some information about how Aeris was 'inferior' to her mother. Sephiroth thought back to the little girl crying beside a woman when Elmyra found her. He wondered if there was any way to check that story without being too invasive…

The game designers had gotten Hojo's mannerisms down too. How he spoke about everyone as if they were simply subjects of his experiments, how clinical and cold he was regarding them, and yet how passionate he could be about the results of the experiments. About how they wouldn't be able to finish research within their or 'the specimen's' lifetime…

Not many people had met Hojo. Few wanted to remember when they had. The fact that they had his character down so well was probably the most worrying of just about anything they'd come across so far.

He almost wished he'd just gone to check the vent.

Especially when Hojo went on about 'breeding' her. He didn't like the idea of breeding monsters, let alone regular animals or humans. It hit too close to home. Any child resulting from that would be raised just as he had been… and he wouldn't wish that on anyone. Well, maybe Hojo, but somehow he didn't think that would do much to change the scientist's outlook on life. Or lack thereof.

"Is Hojo really like this?" Angeal asked softly.

Sephiroth didn't look at them. He didn't want to see the pity that would undoubtedly be there.

"You've met him," was all he said.

"You're making me rather glad that my main physician and scientist is Hollander… although he's little better, I must say."

"He just has a better mask," Sephiroth muttered. He didn't think highly of scientists.

The fact that neither of the other two disputed it probably said too much in and of itself.

The President came back to the Promised Land. Hojo gave off his usual non-answer that the President tended to accept as answers…

"This… has reached an entirely new level of scarily accurate…" Genesis said softly, all of his bravado gone. Out of the corner of his eye, Sephiroth saw Angeal nod slowly in agreement.

"Just what have we stumbled onto?" the dark-haired SOLDIER asked, his tone matching his friend's.

Sephiroth just shook his head, eyes never leaving the screen as the President dismissed the board meeting. "No," he said, his voice firm and even a little angry. "What was mailed to me?" Because he'd found it in a package addressed to him. There was something very wrong with all of this, and someone wanted him, specifically, to know. They'd timed it perfectly, so he'd receive it when he could actually get around to trying it out, had taken advantage of him and likely his relationship to his friends and specifically Angeal's protege.

This was a message, meant for him.

But why?

Part of him wasn't sure he wanted to find out. He had a bad feeling about this… but nothing actually substantial enough for him to take seriously. This wasn't a battlefield and he could do very little on a 'gut feeling'. That didn't stop him from bracing for something that would expose secrets likely better left buried.

He felt as if whoever had made this game wanted to simply lay things out bare before them… and while part of him could appreciate and respect that, he didn't know what would be so terrible that even he didn't have access to the information.

And _HOW_ did these people get it?!

As Genesis backed Cloud out of the vent, Sephiroth stood. "I will go and check on that," he said, perhaps a little tersely. Neither Angeal or Genesis stopped him, simply watching him walk away. He couldn't help but appreciate that.

Ten minutes later, he walked off the elevator and back to his room, his unease only increasing. He unlocked his door and let himself in to see the other two look up at him.

"Well?" Genesis asked, having gone back to droll and uncaring. Sephiroth could see the tension in his shoulders, though.

The silver-haired man simply nodded as he walked back to take his seat again.

"What happened?" he asked, still short but unable to really bring himself to be anything else right now.

Angeal nodded to Genesis, who continued to play as the former explained. "We followed Hojo to the 66th floor. Cloud said he'd never met the man," he continued. Sephiroth raised an eyebrow at that. Unless things changed drastically, or he was somehow put under Hollander's care, Hojo would have at least looked over a potential SOLDIER once… Cloud's story was getting more and more suspicious.

His friend hadn't paused, although he had certainly noticed Sephiroth's skepticism. "We fought some battles, found a 'specimen' of Hojo's that _isn't_ Aerith and now," he looked over at the screen, frowning, "Cloud seems to be having an issue with whatever is in that tank."

They watched as the game flashed a glimpse of whatever it held.

"Was that a body?" Angeal asked, sounding a little disturbed.

"It… looked like it…" Genesis said.

"But it didn't look… human," Sephiroth pointed out, feeling similarly uneasy.

"Headless, definitely, and female," the red-head said.

"And apparently still alive?" Angeal said, sounding incredulous. Sephiroth agreed. But, according to the game, it wasn't.

"Even Hojo couldn't keep something like that alive," Genesis scoffed. Neither of the other two pointed out how it sounded a little forced.

Agreeing to not speak of it again for now, they moved on, finding some more materia and a save point.

At which point, Genesis decided to announce to the room, as he stood, his need for the restroom. Sephiroth appreciated his way of breaking the tension at least, but neither he nor Angeal wanted to speak on it, so they just sat there in quiet while they listened to the game music and waited for Genesis to return.

Once he did, they played on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Because I've had many people ask, I'll say that we probably won't get many (if any) of Zack's reactions from this fic. I'm thinking about writing a companion fic with him on the side because I do have all of his reactions down... but we definitely are going to get the aftermath. *evil grin here* But, probably not for a while. We have too many revelations with this game to get through first. *ahem*
> 
> Even though I didn't make it in time for the contest, I'm still going to finish my webcomic, so if you'd like to head over to Webtoons and look up HACamp as an author, then 'Hope for Scars', you can see the new episode. :)


	8. Aerith's Rescue and The Assassination

After making sure everyone in the party was healed up and had enough mp, Genesis wandered around until he realized he needed to go up the elevator right next to the save point.

Once they reached the top, the party found Aeris inside a tank similar to the other 'specimen' below. Somehow, that did not strike Sephiroth as promising. Cloud spoke to Hojo and said they were taking Aeris back. None of the SOLDIERS (with maybe the exception of Genesis) announced themselves on the battlefield and as such, all of them frowned. Actually, this was getting to a point where Sephiroth was taking mental notes on what should and shouldn't be taught in the SOLDIER program to cadets. If there were this many holes after they were gone…

Hojo countered the party's rather impassioned declarations with his usual smug logic (although Sephiroth had worked with him often enough to poke holes in what he said. Who else could run the equipment? Please. Hojo rarely lowered himself to run his own equipment when it came to experiments. Which was also proven when he commanded someone else to bring the two 'specimens' together. One of them was what looked to be a beast.

"I thought he wanted to keep the girl alive," Genesis frowned.

Of course, then Hojo went on to explain that both of them were endangered species and he, somehow, expected them to mate.

Angeal turned to Sephiroth. "He isn't serious, is he?"

The General frowned. "I can see his thought process, but I have never seen him go to quite this open extreme or disregard…"

"Doesn't mean he wouldn't get to that point of arrogant aloofness," Genesis muttered.

Sephiroth certainly hoped not. The idea of Hojo driven to his extremes was not a pleasant one.

Then Barrett stepped up and shot at the controls of the tank to free Aeris.

"Finally does something useful," the red-head muttered. Sephiroth agreed that Barrett did seem to not use his assets to the fullest…

The tank glowed, Hojo panicked about his 'precious specimens' the door opened and… the lion-beast ignored Aeris to go straight for Hojo.

Well, served him right. Sephiroth may or may not have smiled a little at that development.

Cloud ran in to get Aeris, she thanked Cloud and ran out.

"Why is she thanking him? Barrett freed her!" Genesis pointed out, sounding exasperated. " _My friend, the fates are cruel…_ "

Then, somehow, Hojo sat up as the elevator began to move again. Sephiroth wondered the same thing Angeal did, apparently.

"How is he still alive after being attacked by a beast like that?"

Then said beast spoke.

What.

"Wait," Angeal said, "I've heard of a species from the western continent who can talk and has human level intelligence – or higher. They're lion-like and have a sort of light on their tails that looks like fire. Could this creature be one of them?"

"I've certainly never heard of them," Genesis said a little dismissively as he studied the screen. "I'm going to have… Tifa take Aerith to safety."

"Why don't they all stay to fight? Or all run away?" Sephiroth asked, once again bewildered. Or better yet, kill Hojo and _then_ run away.

"Game logic," the Commander said nonchalantly. "Apparently we can only have a party of three people."

"That's ridiculous," Sephiroth shot back. "If you have the assets, use them!"

The red-head just shrugged and Sephiroth sat back. He was not pouting. The head of ShinRa's army, the Silver General and Hero of Wutai didn't pout.

Hojo commented that the 'specimen' coming was particularly ferocious, then _ran away_ … and _no one chased him._

What.

Then Cloud, the lion-beast and Barrett were thrown into a fight with several smaller 'specimens' surrounding the… monster that Hojo had summoned. If the smaller… beings were killed, they just came back, so they eventually decided to ignore them, power through the hits and focus on the main monster.

Annoying, but they managed.

"Perhaps you should look for more fights to take advantage of this leveling system?" Angeal asked. "That was a rather close battle."

"Hmm. Perhaps," Genesis said once the battle had finished.

Cloud asked if Aerith was alright, which Tifa said she was. And a cynical lion-beast joined the party.

"He seems rather arrogant to me," Genesis said. "He speaks of 'two legs' as if they aren't worthy."

"To be fair, he has been in Hojo's lab for who knows how long."

Genesis grumbled, but conceded the point. If Hojo was Sephiroth's first contact with humanity, he'd not think so highly of 'two legs' either. Although, now that he thought about it, Hojo had been his first contact with humanity as a child… He knew now not everyone was like that man, but it was still an interesting point, now that he thought about it.

"Oh, look. They're splitting into groups, again," the red-head said, drawing attention again. Sephiroth looked at the screen and sighed. They would indeed be noticed in a group of five, but they would likely be just as noticed in two groups of three and two respectively. At best one would be a distraction for the other, but they would likely have more chance of fighting their way out as an entire group.

They were practically begging to get caught.

They grabbed the enemy skill materia (what a rare find, but somehow Sephiroth wasn't surprised Hojo would use something so valuable in an experiment) and then went on their way.

And were promptly caught.

By one Turk.

In an elevator.

Where it would be easy to overpower him.

Of course, then they'd have to deal with the fallout and likely a trap below, but it was still a stupid move on the Turk's part. It could have easily turned into a hostage situation.

Honestly, this 'game logic' made little to no sense and it was starting to get on his nerves.

The group, minus Aeris, were taken before the President.

"If they can't overpower two Turks, then they aren't even third class level," Genesis scoffed.

The President assured them that Aeris was safe. Likely, he wasn't lying. He went on to explain that as the last Ancient (or Cetra, still an unfamiliar term, although Red XIII seemed to know it), she could lead ShinRa to the promised land. Where there would be plenty of mako to exploit.

And honestly, there were so many things wrong with that entire statement that Sephiroth wasn't sure where to start.

"That… is utterly ridiculous," Genesis said, staring at the screen with a disappointed frown.

"I've never understood the President's obsession with Mako," Angeal said. "I know that learning to convert mako into energy has literally made him a world power – the world power, even – but he quite literally has the whole world in his hand? Why would he need more?"

"And why does he want it so badly?" the commander asked, gesturing to the television. "He's the one who insists that Mako is an unlimited source of energy. It runs throughout the entire planet. If he's so sure it won't dry up, then why go through all the trouble?"

Sephiroth decided to answer that with an observation of his own. "I have rarely seen the president as a… rational person." If his room was being jammed, he'd take advantage of it. A good businessman? Sure. But a good president? A rational person? Not exactly.

"I hate to admit that you have a point," Angeal muttered, looking a little sick.

"Why is he even telling a bunch of terrorists all of this?" Genesis asked. "He's not _that_ irrational."

"Just what happened in the intervening years?" the brunet said under his breath. Well, it was either that, or the game developers had taken liberties again. He honestly wasn't sure which one he preferred at this point.

All five of them ended up in cells, naturally. The high-security cells too.

Even Aeris was there… although Sephiroth had no idea why the President would separate them just to put them in adjacent cells.

Genesis walked Cloud over and spoke to Tifa, who said he was brave. Then Cloud went up to the door and another menu popped up wondering how everyone in the other rooms were doing. Sephiroth frowned. Was this some sort of introspection or speculation scene? Then his eyebrows rose ever so slightly as, apparently, these cells had ventilation enough that they could hear each other from the different rooms. From multiple rooms away, even.

"Do you suppose that is true?" the Commander asked thoughtfully. "That they can talk so freely from different rooms?"

"I suppose it's my turn," Angeal said as he stood. "I'll get an infantry man and see if that is really the case." With that, he walked out of the door, leaving Genesis and Sephiroth behind again.

They learned that Aeris didn't know if the 'Promised Land' even existed. It was supposed to bring happiness to the Cetra who returned there… which sounded rather like a culture's belief in an afterlife more than an actual place. They learned this, of course, after Aeris and Tifa got into a semi-heated discussion (he wouldn't call it an argument as they didn't take opposite sides and argue a point).

The girl went on to talk about how the planet sounded loud and full of people and it was difficult for her to make anything out, but that she would eventually get out of Midgar and find her Promised Land.

That… actually sounded rather ominous to Sephiroth if his suspicions were true. Would Aeris die in this game?

He decided not to say anything aloud. Angeal would likely take something like that the hardest, but it was also merely a suspicion at the moment. If it was based on real life, then this foreshadowing meant nothing. Of course, he may not have the correct definition of the concept of 'foreshadowing'. He'd only picked it up from hearing Genesis speak about it so often in his own pursuit of literature.

Barrett went off on another rant. Red XIII wondered about his grandfather, and then they went to sleep.

All in all, a little useful information, but nothing major. Sephiroth still took note of it to relay to Angeal when he returned.

The screen faded to black, supposedly in sleep (if the music was anything to go by).

Cloud woke to silence.

"Why on Gaia is the door open?" Genesis asked, annoyed.

Of course, Cloud asked the same thing.

They found a body outside.

Genesis and Sephiroth exchanged glances.

"Is there a way to get a key off of him?" the General asked.

"Pragmatic… but apparently not. I just keep kneeling down by him," Genesis responded.

"Perhaps… speak to the girl?"

"Tifa?"

Sephiroth nodded.

"It seems you're learning to think in game logic," he commented with a smirk as he had Cloud head back into the room to speak with Tifa.

Of course, _then_ they got the key card. What, did the game think Cloud would leave them all behind? No SOLDIER – or decent infantry man for that matter – would leave comrades behind unless there was no other choice. ShinRa didn't want to have to train new ones to take their place. Sephiroth simply hated the failure of watching his men die.

Apparently the man had both key cards for both doors on him because Tifa got Aeris while Cloud went for Barrett and Red XIII. The latter went on ahead while Barrett said he'd stay behind to clean up. The blond got the girls and went on.

Would the game really limit them to three people at a time? Rigidity like that tended to get people killed in the real world, but he supposed that people could only do so much when it came to games and programming.

Genesis took a moment to double check the materia, which was a good thing because they'd all been stripped.

"How did they get the materia back if ShinRa took it?" Sephiroth asked.

"Game logic."

"Which isn't logical," Sephiroth responded, put out.

Genesis shrugged. "They need it to go on, so the game says the guard had it."

"ShinRa would never—"

"Game logic."

Sephiroth rolled his eyes. "That isn't an excuse."

The red-head just snickered.

Of course, about then, Angeal came back, that uneasy expression back on his face. "It's true," was all he said as he sat down.

This was setting an… unsettling precedent.

Sephiroth quickly caught Angeal up as Genesis moved Cloud along, wandering through what looked like a series of dead bodies.

They met Red XIII in the science lab's lower floor, which also had a good amount of red all over the floor and an empty chamber.

"Is that blood?" Angeal asked, almost sounding offended.

"It would seem so," Sephiroth responded.

Red explained that the 'Jenova' specimen had gone upstairs using the elevator.

Sephiroth's breath caught in his throat.

Jenova…

"My mother's name was Jenova," he said softly.

"How did Red XIII know the specimen's name," Genesis asked.

"He was in the lab for quite a while," Angeal pointed out uncomfortably. "Or he could have heard Cloud say it earlier."

The other two turned to him. "What?" they both asked.

Angeal blinked. "Cloud said it earlier, when he looked in the tank. Didn't you two see that?"

No… he hadn't.*

When no one said anything, Genesis moved Cloud on, leaving Sephiroth to his own thoughts.

The Silver General didn't know what exactly the game makers were trying to say at this point. How did they know about Jenova? He'd had to almost pry that out of Hojo after years of wearing him down. It wasn't something he spoke of lightly.

And apparently, they still had to fight monsters on their way up. Without the normal battle music, which really, just made the whole thing more ominous.

Angeal reached down and opened another bag of chips, which he offered to Sephiroth, who took them and ate them. He still wasn't sure if he really liked them, but he knew he didn't hate them.

The crunching of the three of them chewing only added to the atmosphere, somehow.

Apparently, no one in the building had been left alive.

Which left the question: Why had Cloud and his friends survived?

None of the elevators seemed to work, and it took them a bit of wandering before they just headed up to the top floor…

And found President ShinRa dead. His body slumped over his desk/console with…

Sephiroth felt his mouth go dry.

"That can't be Masamune…" Angeal said warily. "You aren't even at the company…"

"And they gave the impression that the 'Jenova' specimen was the one to break out and attack," Genesis agreed.

Sephiroth nodded, appreciating their efforts.

Tifa and Cloud both shot said efforts down not seconds later.

Sephiroth read the words on the screen with a sinking feeling in his stomach.

'Sephiroth's alive?!'

Genesis paused the game. Apparently Sephiroth wasn't the only one to sit there in shock.

Two little words and there was so much wrong with them…

"How could you, of all people, be dead not a decade hence?" Genesis asked, sounding incredulous.

Sephiroth had to admit, he agreed. He hadn't really given the idea of his own demise much thought for quite a while… because nothing had been strong enough to give him a challenge for over a decade. Had something so great come up that it would kill him? Create a vacuum for someone to send a copycat in to take out the President… because that was the only thing he could really come up with at the moment.

"It has to be a copycat," Angeal said, echoing Sephiroth's thoughts. "You wouldn't do that." The silver General felt the knot in his chest loosen a little at his friend's words.

"No, he wouldn't," Genesis muttered. "There is something else going on here."

Besides… he couldn't actually be dead… right?

The Commander unpaused the game. Cloud said only Sephiroth could use that sword. Well, he wasn't wrong, but it wasn't terribly difficult to take said sword and stab someone with it.

In the back.

Like a coward.

Then Palmer came out of hiding (from behind a pillar? More game logic…) and ran straight through Barrett and Cloud, who easily caught him.

"Did he really think that would work?" Genesis asked.

Then Palmer implicated Sephiroth. Then said he saw Sephiroth with his own eyes and heard him say something about not letting 'us' have the promised land.

While Sephiroth didn't much care for the idea of someone like President ShinRa getting to a place abundant with Mako so as to suck it dry, he wouldn't _kill_ for it. Not unless ordered to, and even then he'd try to find a way around it.

He'd always hated killing. Hojo had ordered him to kill too often and it had taken interacting with Genesis and Angeal to understand the implications of taking a life.

He clenched his jaw, but otherwise made sure he showed no sign of how this turn in the story annoyed him.

Barrett asked if Sephiroth was a 'good guy'.

And apparently, despite being a fan in his younger days, Cloud did _not_ like Sephiroth at this juncture. To a point where he wouldn't even consider him having a legitimate excuse. Not that there was an excuse for murdering people like that, but still. The boy had been a fan… what had changed his opinion so much?

At this point, he'd had about enough. Whether this followed precedent or not, whoever had made this game obviously didn't know him in the slightest. He stood.

"Where are you going?" Genesis asked.

"To the restroom," he said as he walked down the small hall and into the toilet.

He knew the other two would be staring after him worriedly and almost immediately berated himself as he closed the door. He should have just stayed and not shown how much that had gotten to him. Which brought up the question: Why? Why was he letting this… this _game_ unsettle him so?

Because so many things they'd initially dismissed were being proven correct, little and more problematic issues alike. The game was set an undetermined amount of time in the future, but they had so many things right… not everything, but most of that which wasn't correct could be broken down into narrative or limitations in the game play. Hence the 'game logic' he was coming to despise.

But the details that could translate into real life… those had been scarily accurate a large portion of the time.

At the end of the day, though, it boiled down to the fact that his gut was telling him to listen, while his mind insisted that this whole thing was ridiculous at best. He received a strange package in the mail, for something he would usually never even look twice at, and it proceeded to pick and prod at his life in ShinRa; maybe his life in general.

This wasn't an accident.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he turned and caught his reflection in the mirror. The same reflection he saw every day stared back. Silver hair, green, slitted eyes… so unlike anyone else, even the other soldiers. Still, they were his eyes. His face. He saw nothing new in the image. He was the strongest SOLDIER and could take on armies.

The game had gotten many things right, but this wasn't one of them. Sephiroth was strong enough to mow down anything that got in his way. He would live to a ripe old age… doing ShinRa's bidding… before dying when he couldn't do what they wanted anymore…

He blinked.

He'd… never really thought of it that way before. He had a good set-up, but everything in his life had been chosen for him. He was good at it, but eventually he would age and die like everyone else. Somehow, that hadn't ever really occurred to him before and it… unsettled him.

Was this the root of his unease? His own death? How weak was he to be this shaken simply by contemplating his mortality? Perhaps he hadn't been seriously forced to think about it since he'd been a child, but still, he should be stronger than this.

He turned that thought around and around in his mind, eventually realizing that his unease at said idea gave him the answer. Yes, that was a large part of it. The idea of something strong enough to actually kill him was an unsettling idea simply because there weren't many situations he could consider that would be able to do so. Not unless he was particularly distracted or it was world-ending (which, it couldn't have been, seeing as the world still existed in this supposed future without him.

Sephiroth also hated the idea that people thought of him as a murderer and nothing more. Was this how the world saw him? It had already shown other sides of what people supposedly thought, but this… He wasn't a murderer.

He _wasn't_.

Wutai aside… as he hadn't had a choice.

Or had he?

No, now was not the time to dwell on that. He didn't like the idea of his own mortality, he didn't like the idea of something stronger than him coming along, and he didn't like the idea of people thinking so terribly of him.

Funny, he thought he'd gotten over caring about other people's opinions years ago.

Having identified the problems that seemed to grate on his nerves helped. So he could (and would} take a deep breath, go back out there, and finish watching a bunch of pixels on the screen that represented people in the real world. A _game_.

That seemed to want to paint him as some kind of monster who went around killing indiscriminately.

Either that leak wasn't as good as they had thought or someone involved was terribly biased. Because he had his own code of honor, just as Angeal did, and it had nothing to do with killing innocents. Or even the guilty like the President. Not unless he had no other choice or faced them in a battle to the death.

Somehow, this had just become far less amusing.

Closing his eyes, he went through a meditation exercise. He'd allowed himself to become distracted by the scarily accurate details in the game. He'd lost sight of his goal, which was to analyze this game so he could give a report to the Turks when he turned it over. He'd had to do plenty of unpleasant things in his life. This was no different.

So he would go out there, and he would be fine.

He'd contemplate his… mortality more thoroughly at a later time.

With a firm nod of his head, he flushed the toilet (clean, but he had to keep up the pretense) and then walked back out, making sure to wash his (gloved) hands. Thankfully, said gloves were waterproof.

Then he went back out into the hall, ready to face whatever would come next.

Or… so he thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Some people pointed out that Cloud said 'Jenova' when he peeked into the tank in the previous installment. In the walk through I was following, it was either changed, or I missed it. I did go back and check different walk throughs, though, and they did have it so, sorry. He was exchanging a glance with Genesis at the time and missed it… *ahem* Apologies.
> 
> Discord link: discord.gg/zJQSDa8 I will be putting up podfics (starting with my Star Wars series... as soon as we can get it to work), I am going to start streaming art drawings for illustrations for my fics and I hope it's a nice community where people can go to just talk, geek and have fun. :)
> 
> Also, AGAIN, someone sent me a, "What if this happened and you wrote it!" idea... the same one I've gotten from a guest at least three times now from a guest. PLEASE STOP. I don't have time, and I'm sorry it won't happen. 
> 
> Thanks to Quathis for all your help! And to everyone reading this!


	9. Escape from Midgar and Kalm

When Sephiroth returned, his two friends looked over at him. Genesis' face had a careful blankness, while Angeal's brow furrowed ever so slightly in worry. They didn't say anything to him, though, which he appreciated.

Apparently, while he'd been gone, the red-head had handed over the controller to his friend. They hadn't unpaused the game.

"You did not need to wait for me," Sephiroth said calmly.

They didn't answer for several seconds.

"We didn't want to leave you out of the loop if you'd be back shortly," Genesis said nonchalantly.

Sephiroth simply nodded at them and motioned for them to continue.

Still looking uneasy, Angeal did.

Fortunately, there wasn't anything else about Sephiroth the murderer. Actually, Palmer escaped (somehow) and a helicopter flew by outside. The group on screen turned to it and Barrett commented about how he'd forgotten about Rufus. How the man could have possibly forgotten about the Vice President of the company he was actively trying to take down, Sephiroth didn't know. But Barrett, while not stupid, also didn't seem to be an intellectual either. Somehow, it wasn't difficult to see him as absent-minded too.

Or it could be more game logic.

He was getting to where he rather despised that term.

Palmer ran outside and to the helicopter.

"Why would one run up to a helicopter like that?" Genesis asked. And somehow, him simply commenting on inconsistencies or points that didn't make sense made everything more normal. Sephiroth didn't think the commander was doing it for him, but he appreciated it nonetheless.

Tifa didn't even seem to know who Rufus was at all, simply because he'd been assigned 'away for a long time'. Away? Was Junon so difficult to say? And it wasn't _that_ far away. A couple of hours by helicopter ride.

"Shouldn't we just escape?" Angeal asked, turning Cloud to walk back to the door.

"Somehow I think the game wants us to confront him," Genesis muttered, annoyed.

Game.

Logic.

Somehow, the idea of shoving Masamune right through the case while it held all three disks was becoming more and more appealing.

Shrugging, Angeal directed Cloud outside. The scene cut to the entire group running towards the President's private landing pad. They got there in time to hear Palmer give his 'Sephiroth' story. Then Rufus asked who they all were.

They introduced themselves.

Each and every one of them.

"This group needs someone with brains," Genesis groused. Sephiroth privately agreed.

Naturally, the new President didn't care. (Although, that brought up the question of why he'd asked in the first place.) But, much like his father, he did seem to like monologuing.

"Were Barrett so inclined, he could have shot the man multiple times by now! He would have taken the entire company out!" the commander practically yelled at the screen.

"Not everyone has a history in fighting."

"Then they shouldn't _be_ fighting."

"Then who else would? Would anyone with any sort of training stand up to ShinRa?" Angeal said, almost flippantly.

"They'll only get themselves killed!" the red-head returned.

"Better that then dying by ShinRa's hand," Sephiroth said quietly. Both of the other two turned to look at him. He glanced at them out of the corner of his eye and raised an eyebrow. "I never said I didn't understand them. I do know some psychology."

Angeal's mouth twitched up while Genesis just shook his head. "No matter how well you know someone, there is always something more to learn," the latter said.

Well, at least he hadn't quoted Loveless.

Again.

They went back to the game while Rufus went on about how his father controlled the world by money and protection. Rufus would control it through fear because the other way was 'too much'.

Both Genesis _and_ Angeal snorted at that. Were Sephiroth anyone else, he likely would have too.

"Entitled, sheltered rich boy," Genesis muttered.

"Much like you?" Angeal asked, sounding a little too innocent.

Genesis' mouth dropped open and he leaned away from his friend, affronted. "You would compare me to… _him?!_ " he pointed to the screen. And yet, somehow, he didn't seem as angry as Sephiroth thought he should. Genesis was annoyed, but not _angry_ like the General would have supposed. It seemed he still didn't understand their dynamic.

"If the boot fits…" Angeal teased.

The thespian of the group scoffed again and turned his head away with a scoff.

"Sulking doesn't become you," Sephiroth said, daring to venture into this and hoping he had said the right thing.

Apparently he had, because Genesis continued to turn away from them, only acknowledging the comment with a short, sharp 'hmm'. He didn't blow up and challenge Sephiroth right then and there, he didn't return with something biting and all too cruel, he just 'hmmed' at them. Perhaps He was making improvements.

"He looks down on 'common people', is too focused on his own goals and ideas to 'waste money' and time on them, he dresses savvy, is self-assured so much as to boarder on arrogant and likes to make speeches," Angeal continued, shooting Sephiroth a conspirators smile.

"He doesn't have red hair," Sephiroth pointed out. "Nor is he using a sword. And he rather likes white, not red."

"That's enough from you two!" Genesis said, turning around and folding his arms with a huff. Now he was pouting as well as sulking. "Besides, the biggest difference between him and me? I have enough brains to realize that what he is proposing is lazy at best and doomed to fail. People rise up against fear. They don't rise up against plenty."

Well, they had to give him that. "True," Angeal said as Cloud turned to Barrett and asked him to get Aerith out.

"Why didn't they do that before?!" Genesis practically shouted.

Sephiroth wasn't going to dignify that with an answer.

Mainly because the answer didn't deserve it.

Everyone left but Cloud… because the blond told them to run.

 _Why_?!

And instead of staying with Cloud, the game followed everyone else back into the office. After urging everyone to exchange materia (how they could do that without Cloud there, Sephiroth didn't know), Tifa stayed behind to wait for him.

Seriously, how were these people still alive?

The other three got onto the elevator and had a rather ridiculous fight against another couple of Scarlett's monstrosities.

Honestly.

The elevators didn't even work like that.

And anyone who had lived in any place that ran off of mako should know that.

Clearly, game logic needed to be renamed something more along the lines of 'game insanity' or 'game convenience'.

The game then went back to Cloud and Rufus talking. And Rufus asked if Cloud knew Sephiroth had been an Ancient.

Wait.

What.

Genesis and Angeal both turned to him, looking expectant.

"I have no idea what he's talking about," Sephiroth said calmly.

"You don't hear the planet's voice?"

Sephiroth frowned. "No."

"The only feature you seem to have in common with Aerith is the eye color," Angeal said, sounding a little unsure.

"Different talents could have manifested in different ways if he comes from another family than hers," Genesis pointed out.

"It may have been something the game creators made up," the General commented, eyes fixed on the screen.

But the opposite was true as well. Simply because it was in the game that knew about the secret passages into reactors and the ShinRa buildings gave it more plausibility than he was really comfortable with. What would being an 'Ancient' actually mean? Perhaps he needed to go and see this Aerith and ask her…

Not a minute later, they ended up in a one-on-one fight between Rufus (with his pet hound named 'Dark Nation'… what a ridiculous name) and Cloud. It wasn't an easy fight, but Angeal managed it. Perhaps they'd need to do more about the different materia? Rearrange it more often or something? That had certainly helped to get the mateira he needed before the fight.

And he was sure he'd seen a comment that said the main character had reached the next level of his limit break. Good. Most soldiers had at least three limit breaks, and two different sides to those limit breaks, although it was rare for new SOLDIERS to have one coming into the program. Sephiroth, himself, had four. There was a fabled 'fifth' limit, but he hadn't found a way to cultivate it, if it did actually exist. Of course, it was also possible to adapt and evolve limits as well, but that wasn't exactly easy to do.

In any case, the new 'President' of the company put one hand up and somehow let the helicopter that had been hovering around the fight take him away. It looked ridiculous.

Cloud ran down the stairs and up to Tifa. They started off together when the screen switched to Aerith, Barrett and Red XIII coming out of the (impossible) elevators. Barrett ran out the front doors, what passed for shooting noises sounded, and then he came back in saying they were surrounded.

"About time," Genesis muttered.

After talking and proclaiming that they wouldn't abandon Aeris (something he could appreciate), Cloud and Tifa caught up. Or so Sephiroth thought. It was actually just Tifa gesturing for them to follow her.

And if Sephiroth had thought the game was ridiculous before… watching Cloud ride a motor bike down the ShinRa stairs was, while extremely satisfying, on another level of insanity. _Where_ did he get it? _Why_ would ShinRa have one _in their building_?

Then the group found… "The old vehicle display?" Genesis asked, sounding about as incredulous as Sephiroth felt.

"That doesn't look like a truck I've seen there," Angeal mused.

"This is set in the future," Sephiroth pointed out, unsure as to what exactly he felt about all of this.

"How does it still run? Did some idiot forget to empty the tank of explosive substances?"

That wouldn't be the only thing wrong with a car sitting on display…

Then they crashed out of the second story window and onto the nearby highway… which… actually was plausible… if beyond foolhardy. They were lucky to not end up very, _very_ dead. And wasn't it sad when the most plausible event regarding a situation happened to be the group driving through a window onto a freeway? Of course, desperation and all of that, but still...

And then they were chased down the highway until they reached the end and had to fight _another_ robot monstrosity. It was getting to a point where they all seemed to blur together.

Once they won that battle, Cloud spoke on how he has a score to settle with Sephiroth. The actual man watching the game being played only thinned his mouth at the comment.

After that, the party climbed down a rather convenient crane hook and into the Midgar wastes, where they decided that they would head to Kalm just before they split (ridiculously) into two groups.

Whatever.

Sephiroth sincerely hoped he never had to work with the people who created this game when it came to actual field battles.

The next several minutes consisted of battles and wandering around a very simplified map of the area outside of Midgar. Honestly, if they crossed the distance as quickly as the scale implied, they'd all somehow become motor vehicles themselves. The three-hour trip by vehicle that it would normally take to get to Kalm ended up being, literally, twenty three minutes. With monster fights. _On foot_.

Game insanity.

"The point of the game isn't to make it real to life, I don't think," Angeal finally said after yet more complaints from both of his companions. "It's to make it entertaining."

"And yet, it brings in realistic state secrets that even the company doesn't know about," Genesis rebutted.

Angeal could only shrug and shake his head.

In any case, once they got to Kalm, the party members went into the Inn.

"You should stock up before the meeting," Genesis said to Angeal, who nodded.

Then they walked into town and found several red arrows greeting them. Sephiroth wondered what the point was. So did the others, apparently because Angeal walked up to one of them, starting in the bottom left corner. They soon discovered that, apparently, they could wander into people's homes and just take things here as well.

"How are these _terrorists_ supposed to be the protagonists?" Genesis asked, throwing his hands in the air, and accidentally hitting Angeal's shoulder. This earned him a glare, but Genesis looked unrepentant… as Genesis tended to do. He simply continued rambling. "Blowing up reactors and costing who knows how many lives, threatening the government openly, walking into people's houses and simply taking things all while accusing Mr. 'Perfect Record' over there of coming back from the dead simply to kill the president of the company?! Are we to believe that, simply because one of their people has a child and they were all wronged that it justifies everything they're doing?!"

"An apt summary," Sephiroth said, a little amused and grateful that Genesis had seen what he had.

But Genesis wasn't done. "There is such a thing as character growth, but there is literally no place for these characters to go but up!"

"They could be as bad as Hojo," Angeal pointed out, also looking amused.

Genesis opened his mouth, but paused and thought about it, then sat back, definitely not pouting. "He has been digging for a while," he muttered.

True. Sephiroth almost found himself wanting to smile at that comment. Almost. The previous events in the game still weighed on his mind, though, stopping any mirth from showing.

They found the items, weapons and materia shops.

"Oh, _now_ you want to pay for everything," Genesis said to the screen.

After stocking up on some hypers (something about the Mythril Mines, hypers and tranquilizers would be advantageous for the areas to come if that was where they were supposed to head next – or so the blue text suggested), they returned to the Inn. No one was on the first floor, so Angeal decided to try going upstairs, where they found the rest of their group.

Barrett called out that Cloud was late. The blond apologized. That was fair, Sephiroth supposed. Then they asked Cloud for his 'story'. The one about Sephiroth and the crisis to the planet. Both Angeal and Genesis looked over to their friend, who noticed and contemplated. They were asking his permission to continue. He appreciated that. A great deal.

Part of him had a bad feeling about this – wanted to quit and just walk away… but part of him _couldn't_. It would haunt him if he just stopped now… like a coward.

He was just about to nod for them to continue when his phs rang.

It took him a moment to register it, but when he did, he fished it out of his pocket and stood.

"General Sephiroth," he said, answering.

"Are you sick?" came the nasally, very unwanted voice from the other end. Hojo.

Hadn't they just been talking about him. Speak of the Devil and all that.

"No," Sephiroth responded.

"It came to my attention that you took a sick day."

He didn't sigh, but it was a close thing. "I took a personal day."

"Why?

Sephiroth grit his teeth. "I discovered something that needs my personal touch and am investigating."

"Hmm," said the voice. Then a pause. Sephiroth suddenly thought of all the things he wanted to ask this man; about Jenova and the Ancients and his experiments and the Promised Land… but he knew that now was not a good time. No, he needed to explore what this game had to offer thoroughly first.

"Still operating within expected parameters. That's good. What are you looking into?"

"Some problems that have come up within SOLDIER," was his immediate response. It was _technically_ true, if vague.

"I see. Very well. Carry on." And with that the scientist hung up.

Sephiroth lowered the phs and looked at it for several seconds. Then he saw the time. They'd started the game a little before nine that morning. They'd already been playing for almost an hour and a half. Actually, he was kind of surprised it took Hojo that long to look into his 'masterpiece'. Sephiroth's hand tightened around the phs for a moment, but then he took a breath and relaxed. It was Hojo. He shouldn't expect differently.

"We can resume," he said as he returned to the couch.

"Are you sure?" Angeal asked quietly.

Sephiroth looked at him for a moment before nodding.

So they played on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Yes, I ended it there. Next chapter... *evil cackle*
> 
> Come to my discord if you'd like to ask questions or discuss things with other people who read these stories too. :) discord.gg/zJQSDa8
> 
> AO3 and ffnet weren't working for some reason... glad this is finally up.


	10. Cloud's Story Pt 1

"I used to want to be like Sephiroth, so I joined SOLDIER," Cloud said. As if it were that simple, but Sephiroth still appreciated the sentiment… even if, somehow, said sentiment had turned to something much harsher later.

Cloud claimed that the two of them became friends.

"No mention of either one of us, _again,_ " Genesis pointed out darkly, indicating himself and Angeal.

The blond went on to say they were more like war buddies until 'one day…'

The game switched to a flashback (at least, that's what Sephiroth assumed) and showed the inside of a vehicle.

"Rather large for something issued by ShinRa on the Western Continent," Genesis commented.

Over the next several minutes, they learned that Cloud used to act a lot like Zack. Apparently, he'd joined SOLDIER after the war had ended (Sephiroth, for once, hoped the game was right and that the war would end… soon), he cared about those underneath him, and he'd never had motion sickness. Sephiroth wondered what had changed him from a Zack clone to the cynical person he'd become…

They also learned that the group on screen was on a mission to investigate a faulty reactor.

Which… made no sense at all whatsoever.

"Why would they send two SOLDIERS to investigate a reactor?" Angeal asked, frowning. "SOLDIER _firsts_ , even."

"Clearly there is something else we aren't privy to going on here," Genesis said, almost dismissively.

Sephiroth frowned. "Such as?"

"Well, there could be some particularly bad monsters in the area," Angeal ventured unsurely.

Genesis scoffed. "Unless its those monsters that Wutai makes or those found in the far north, there isn't a monster that would bother any of us, let alone Sephiroth. Especially if he has an entourage of infantry with him."

"Perhaps there was another enemy spotted in the area? Current AVALANCHE or the like?" Sephiroth proposed.

"Better," Genesis said with a nod. "Although it would have to be one of the higher ups for them to send Sephiroth _and_ someone to watch his back." It went unsaid that they likely wouldn't discuss anything aloud in front of the troopers were that the case. It would simply be presented as a case of brutal monsters… which is exactly what game Sephiroth had said.

"Maybe we'll find out more later," Angeal suggested. Genesis nodded and they continued with the game.

Of course, then they found out that Cloud was from Nibelheim. All three of them exchanged glances.

"That's where the file says Strife is from, right?" Angeal asked, double checking.

"Yes," Genesis and Sephiroth answered at the same time.

Well, that settled it. Strife was somehow involved with this game, which meant that either they would be questioning him, or the Turks would. Sephiroth made a mental note to look the kid up and set up a meeting, partially for his own curiosity, partially because questioning by Turk was never a fun experience.

His focus was drawn back to the screen as the vehicle jerked and the two game SOLDIERS end up in a monster fight.

"They have dragons in the Nibel mountains?" Angeal asked.

"Yes," Genesis said. "I've been there. They aren't the most dangerous dragons I've run into, but they are their own brand of nasty."

"Hmm," Sephiroth said.

"A better question would be why would a SOLDIER first have such low comparative stats?" the red-head mused, nodding to Cloud's numbers on the screen. They were… paltry, at best.

None of them had an answer to that.

Then Cloud went on to say that Sephiroth's power and strength was far beyond whatever stories the others had heard.

The SOLDIER in question wanted to shift in discomfort, but refused to let himself do so. Did the rest of the world really think that?

Were they right? He didn't exactly have the best comparisons at hand…

He decided not to voice the question, unsure if he wanted to hear the answer.

Then they arrived at Nibelheim, where the game Sephiroth stated that his mother was indeed Jenova and didn't say anything about his father. The real Sephiroth didn't know who his father was. Although he had suspicions that he didn't particularly like to think about…

Then again, so did game Sephiroth apparently.

The idea that the game developers would be able to even guess at something that personal so accurately was… disturbing to say the least.

Then Angeal had Cloud speak with the other soldiers and his similarity to Zack became even more prominent. Talking about practicing poses… something so ridiculous was only something Zack (and apparently Cloud) would do.

Barrett interrupted to draw a connection between Sephiroth's mother and the headless body they saw at ShinRa.

Sephiroth couldn't help how his fists tightened. He did not want to let such insult go and made a mental note to track down the game developers personally. He'd prove to them that he didn't kill people on a whim. No. They may wish for death by the time he's done with them though...

Thankfully, Tifa got the game back on track. Apparently, in the past Nibelhiem, the two of them were reunited (although he did find it rather odd that Tifa didn't contribute to the actual story, seeming happy to sit back and just let Cloud tell it – that didn't seem like something she would do as she'd been so outspoken about issues she was involved in earlier).

The game went back to the flashback, where Sephiroth told Cloud to get some rest.

"Only one lookout… on a trip that required two SOLDIER firsts?" Genesis asked, then looked over at Sephiroth, unimpressed. "Seriously?"

The General returned the stare with a hard look of his own. "That," he said, gesturing to the projection screen with his head, "is not actually me."

Angeal shot Genesis his own Disappointed Look™ and the red-head cleared his throat.

"True. _My friend do you fly away now, to a world that abhors you and I?_ It seems they don't have you're entire personality down, then."

It wasn't an apology, but it was about as close as they would get, so Sephiroth shot one last frown at the Commander before returning his attention to the game, where the Sephiroth on screen told Cloud he could visit his family and friends.

One of the villagers came out of a nearby building. After having Cloud walk up to them, they said they wanted to take a picture with Sephiroth (along with some other inane things). They left him waiting and ran around to the different houses, starting on the other side of what looked like the central square, simply because it looked like the inn and the items shop (useless in a flashback) were on the side they'd already been facing.

Starting at the top, they went in to find Cloud's house. The future Cloud was about to (rather sensibly in Sephiroth's opinion) move on to more pertinent matters, but Barrett and Aerith asked him to talk about his family. So he did, describing his mother… and then the fact that she'd died a couple of days later.

Well, that was ominous… perhaps the monsters attacked the town while they were out looking at the reactor? Sephiroth frowned. He would rather hate to have such a failure on his record, not to mention it would hurt Cloud. Did he blame Sephiroth?

In any case, Cloud spoke to his mother, who fussed over him, welcomed him back, told him he was handsome, that she was worried about him… Sephiroth couldn't relate. He'd never really had that kind of relationship with anyone. The closest he came was with Angeal and Genesis… He glanced to the side, seeing their gazes fixed on the screen. Somehow, it wasn't comparable at all.

He wondered what it would be like if his mother had survived his birth. Would she have been like that? Would he have liked that? Or would it have bothered him?

He didn't know, and honestly, it was pointless to think about, so he shook the thought from his head and focused back on the screen himself.

The next house was Tifa's, and, for the first time, the game suggested that going into someone's house might not be the best thing when Tifa (presumably from the future) asked if Cloud went into her house. Naturally Angeal said 'no' and went back outside and to the next house.

The next house had a woman who recognized Cloud. She also had two kids who seemed rather awed by a Shinra SOLDIER. They probably hadn't been old enough to recognize Cloud from before he'd left.

How old was Cloud in this? That could at least give them an approximate time period this would supposedly happen in. 'The next decade' didn't exactly give an accurate estimation… and they weren't even sure if that was entirely correct. But there were no answers to that here, as Angeal moved Cloud on.

The only other building they could enter (besides the Inn) was what Sephiroth had assumed was the items shop. As soon as they walked in the door, Cloud started to have memory problems and Barrett got annoyed, so they decided to head to the Inn. In the flashback they were, after all, supposed to get some rest.

On the top floor, they found Game Sephiroth looking out one of the windows. He said he felt like he knew the scenery when asked.

Sephiroth frowned. He'd never been to Nibelheim. Why would it look familiar?

After that, Game Sephiroth turned to Cloud and told him to get some sleep. Angeal picked the agreement when a menu came up. Sephiroth informed Cloud that he'd hired a guide, that she's young but he hoped they could rely on her.

"Why would they need a guide?" Angeal asked, puzzled. SOLDIERS were used to hiking around wilderness, after all, and they should have a map to where the reactor should be.

"The Nibel mountains are… treacherous," Genesis replied. "Hiring a local is not a bad idea. They would know migration patterns of the local fauna and would be more likely to get everyone up the mountain safely. Not that it's really necessary with two SOLDIER firsts, but it could save them a lot of time."

"Ah," Angeal replied, nodding.

The screen faded to black and then back into the central square with different lighting, presumably the next morning. Sephiroth didn't know if Angeal was moving Cloud or if it was the game, but he headed up to the top of the screen, an area they'd skipped 'yesterday' as that was likely where the reactor would be.

Surely enough, Cloud met Sephiroth and the rest of the entourage there.

And, apparently, Tifa was their guide. With how she could fight, Sephiroth didn't have any issues with that (although this was in the past, so maybe she hadn't been as competent?). Tifa's father didn't seem to approve of her being a guide, though. Were all parents that protective?

Tifa also didn't seem to recognize Cloud today.

Odd.

The man from the previous day asked to take a picture, and they cajoled Sephiroth into actually posing. At least they had that part of his personality down. He didn't much care for pictures or propaganda, no matter how much ShinRa required it of him.

Then it went to a cut scene showing a very spiky mountain, a reactor, and a rickety looking bridge right by it. Then it faded to show the group walking along a path (that looked rather obvious to Sephiroth, but that could have been the limitations of the game). Of course, said rickety-looking bridge happened to collapse with the two SOLDIERS and Tifa on it.

"I'm sure that's supposed to be far smaller and less sturdy looking than it actually looked," Genesis said dryly. "So why do they have such a flimsy thing leading up to a _ShinRa reactor_?"

"Funding," Sephiroth and Angeal said at the same time. They shot amused glances at each other before returning their gazes to the screen.

The scene faded in to Tifa and Cloud lying on the ground. They begin to move just as Sephiroth and an infantry man come around the side of a nearby boulder.

"So the grunts fell too," Genesis said.

Neither Angeal or Sephiroth dignified that statement with an acknowledgment.

"Well, one of them," the red-head amended as the Game Sephiroth explained how they didn't have time to look for the missing trooper. Sephiroth frowned at the idea of leaving a man behind, but he could also see where Game Sephiroth was coming from in that they weren't in an active war zone, but they were on a mission with potential time limit if there were dangerous monsters involved that could attack the town (or AVALANCHE leaders...). In that situation, he would want to complete the mission then head back to the village. If the infantry man wasn't there, he'd likely organize a search party then. He assumed that was Game Sephiroth's train of thought as the party moved on.

The next monster they ran into happened to be another dragon.

The fact that it took two hits for Game Sephiroth to take it out said a lot about the dragon's ability to take blows. Either that, or the game developers had a very inflated view of Nibel dragons.

Then the party entered a cave and stopped to talk about mako energy… for some reason. Wouldn't everyone there know about it?

Game.

Insanity.

Perhaps they needed to explain to make sure anyone playing the game was on the same page, but with the characters involved not knowing something like that… he just couldn't call it game logic anymore.

The group eventually came to what looked like a mako fountain. Game Sephiroth confirmed that thought a moment after the real Sephiroth thought it.

And then the game decided to explain magic and materia to everyone there, who (again) _should know it._

Why did people play these things again?

At least Game Sephiroth commented on Cloud not knowing even that. Of course, that did seem like something Zack would forget from what he'd heard from Angeal… these two were incredibly similar in their youth. Part of him wondered if young Zachary would grow into a hard, cynical person too… He hoped not. As much as he would like Zack to be a little more serious sometimes (his reports, by Gaia, _his reports_ ), his natural optimism was catching and even inspiring. This coming from a man who hadn't even met the kid face-to-face yet. If only a side affect of that sort of personality didn't seem to be extreme naivety. Or, at least, selective naivety in Zack's case.

Then the game had to go and throw a wrench in everything by having Game Sephiroth state that materia held the knowledge and wisdom of the Ancients. Well… that was news to him. He'd heard the theory that mako is the condensed form of memories of the dead, and mateira even more so, but Ancients? He'd never even heard of them until this game. Did the game developers simply assume he 'knew' some of these things?

Cloud said that Magic was a 'mysterious power'.

Sephiroth frowned. Hojo would have issues with that term.

Game Sephiroth laughed. It didn't look like a happy laugh, but something a little more mocking and cruel…

The game designers _really_ didn't like Sephiroth, apparently.

Then Game Sephiroth said something that almost froze Sephiroth's blood in his veins: "A man once told me to never use such unscientific terms as 'mysterious power', and that it shouldn't even be called magic."

A beat. Then his mouth opened, almost of its own accord. "Hojo said that to me. Almost word for word."

He wasn't sure what disturbed him more: the fact that this Sephiroth seemed to be _adopting_ Hojo's way of thinking or that the game designers would know the scientist had said that…

"We have to find this mole," Angeal said. Out of the corner of his eye, Sephiroth saw Genesis nod his head. The General agreed as well. This… this was too much.

Then the game almost redeemed itself by calling Hojo 'inexperienced' and very much implied that he wasn't that good of a scientist. It also, very accurately, stated that the man was a walking mass of complexes.

Yes, almost redeemed.

Almost.

The group continued on up the side of the mountain, eventually reaching the reactor at the top, at which point the group split up. Cloud and Game Sephiroth went inside the reactor, sensibly ordering the remaining infantry man to keep Tifa out.

This reactor looked more or less the same as other reactors the game had shown.

"Why do they climb down chains?" Genesis asked, still on his personal mission to point out everything wrong with the game that he possibly could.

Sephiroth approved.

The red-head continued. "There should be an elevator and easy access to the reactor." Or at least, reasonable access.

The game glitched when Angeal tried to move Cloud ahead of Game Sephiroth and wouldn't let him, so they simply waited for the silver-haired clump of pixels to head through the door. Then, for some strange reason, Game Sephiroth was at the top of the stairs in the next room… which looked far more old-fashioned than the other reactors.

"How old is this reactor?" Angeal asked curiously.

Genesis snorted. "It was one of the prototypes."

The other two turned their heads to stare at him.

He frowned at them, then rolled his eyes, then sat back smugly. " _Ripples form on the water's surface_ _The wandering soul knows no rest._ "

"You're honestly going to quote Loveless at us?" Angeal asked, deadpan.

"I told you, I've been there," Genesis said, exasperated. "Not to the reactor specifically, but to the mountains. I remember picking up the random trivia that it was one of the first places in the world outside of Midgar to have mako-powered electricity. Thus, it's a prototype. Unlike the Midgar reactors, I doubt it has been upgraded."

The General exchanged glances with the larger SOLDIER as if to verify that the other would believe their friend. Then Angeal shrugged. Verdict said they either believed or humored him, apparently. Sephiroth nodded and they turned back to the screen.

That was when Sephiroth noticed the name above the door at the top of the landing and his blood froze again.

"What…?" he heard himself whisper.

Jenova.

What is his mother's name doing above a door _inside a prototype ShinRa reactor?_ His hands clutched his folded arms harder and he had to consciously relax them.

"Isn't that your—" Angeal started.

Sephiroth cut him off. "Yes."

This time, Genesis and Angeal exchanged glances. Apparently they'd come across something else they needed to verify.

The red-head sighed, sounding put-upon. "I'll begin looking for missions in that area," he said, taking out his PHS. People could say what they would about Genesis, but Sephiroth did appreciate his tendency to be proactive.

Apparently, in the game, the door wouldn't open.

Sensibly, Game Sephiroth returned to the mission (although somehow, he seemed to know exactly where the problem for the malfunction was… did he see it on the way up? Sephiroth doubted it. He would have been fixated on the door with _his mother's name_ above it had he been there) and told Cloud to close a valve.

Then Game Sephiroth moved so Cloud could reach said valve.

Why didn't Game Sephiroth simply close it himself? Sephiroth wasn't above a little grunt work… unless he saw something else he wanted to take a closer look at. As Cloud finished and walked up to Sephiroth, he looked into one of the strange pods Sephiroth had never seen in a reactor anywhere, old-fashioned or not.

'I see, Hojo. But this will never put you on the level of Gast…' Game Sephiroth said.

The uneasy feeling in Sephiroth's stomach intensified.

Game Sephiroth then went on to explain to Cloud that Hojo had taken the general process for making materia and added something to it, then stepped aside so Cloud could take a look.

The moment was ruined when Angeal couldn't seem to make Cloud take that look until they talked to Game Sephiroth again.

Game Insanity.

When Cloud looked through the window, the screen faded to show… a monster? Sephiroth felt his eyes widen. That wasn't a monster he'd ever seen or heard of. It almost looked...

"Is this saying that they experimented on humans?" Angeal asked, sounding angry. Neither Sephiroth or Genesis answered, although the former noticed he wasn't the only one who had clenched his hands into fists. The Commander's hands rested on his knees, balled tightly. In one of those fists, he still held his phs, which creaked quietly. If he wasn't careful, he'd break it.

"It's ShinRa," Genesis said darkly.

"They had to get the 'recipe' for SOLDIER somehow," Sephiroth added on, trying to keep his tone even. He wasn't sure how successful he was.

Game Sephiroth went on to explain the basics of SOLDIER (to a SOLDIER… Cloud really was as oblivious as Zack could be at times). Then he went on to explain that the 'people' in the tanks had been exposed to a far higher degree of Mako.

"How do you… er, how does he know that?" Genesis asked. "Just by looking?"

Sephiroth shot him an unimpressed expression. "There must have been some precedence we aren't privy to."

Or more game insanity.

Cloud called those people monsters.

Game Sephiroth agreed.

While he could understand them thinking that initially, Sephiroth didn't agree and was upset his game counterpart did. Of course, that brought up the question of what actually made a monster? How far could someone's body and mind be pushed before they couldn't be considered human anymore?

That… made the whole SOLDIER process far more uncomfortable than he'd like…

Game Sephiroth continued to explain that Hojo had created the 'monsters'. He'd give that to the game. The only other person who could have even come close was Hollander and he had a completely different MO.

Then Cloud had to prove that he had just as big of a mouth as Zack did because he asked if Sephiroth was different.

"All three of us are different," he heard Angeal mutter and felt a pressure he hadn't noticed lift from his chest. Right. No matter what, his companions could relate, and he would definitely call them human.

He turned and nodded in solidarity at his friend, shooting him ha grateful smile… well, Angeal _should_ recognize the smile. He didn't like to broadcast his emotions, but the brunet could usually read him.

Of course, then Game Sephiroth had to ask the question of whether he'd been created that way too and the weight came right back. He wasn't the only one who didn't like that question if Angeal and Genesis stiffening was anything to go by.

And somehow, Game Sephiroth could also swing a 2 meter sword in a space that only had a couple of inches…

That went beyond insanity.

And… apparently, so did Game Sephiroth. Or, at least, he didn't take the question well. Not that Real Sephiroth could blame him. He wasn't taking that question well either.

He had to keep in mind that despite the track record, this 'reveal' might not even have any merit to it. They'd have to wait until one of them could go and inspect the Nibel reactor first.

Game Sephiroth had no such reassurance and proceeded to hit his Masamune against the pods… like a child throwing a tantrum. Or, he supposed, a scared, scarred, lonely SOLDIER 'freaking out', as some of his thirds would say.

Cloud seemed to be at a loss. Sephioth couldn't blame him either.

Game Sephiroth said he'd always felt different from others – special in some way.

"Is that true?" Genesis asked.

Yes.

"I've been told that I'm the elite since I was old enough to remember. So it looks as if those feelings have been cultivated in me, yes. I've had little reason to believe otherwise. The only other two who can give me a fight are you two." And they had to gang up on him to really push him. He didn't say that though. There was pointing facts out and then there was rubbing people's faces in said facts. He refused to go that far.

"So our mole may have heard you being told or reciting such words back and decided to put it in the game," Angeal postulated.

It was the most plausible thing Sephiroth could think of.

He didn't much like his private feelings being put out there for the world to see.

Then, likely due to Game Sephiroth's tantrum, one of the pods broke and fell apart, spilling the 'monster' inside on the ground where it almost immediately died. It looked rather like a crossover of a human, the Ifrit summon, and a crystal formation…

Disturbing on too many levels to really acknowledge.

Thankfully the narrative took a break and showed Cloud and his little posse in the Inn at Kalm. Of course, only after the blond SOLDIER asked the same questions Sephiroth's mind had been fielding…

Then Red pointed out that there had been an increase in monsters recently… how he would know that from the inside of Hojo's labs, Sephiroth didn't know. He could have overheard the statistics being mentioned, the General supposed.

The game makers must have realized that this was taking quite a while because it asked if they wanted to rest for a bit before continuing on. Unfortunately, they didn't really have the time if they wanted to get as far as they could before work the next day, so they decided to keep going.

Sephiroth hoped they wouldn't regret it. He didn't hold high hopes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Conclusion next week.
> 
> I've had some people say that Genesis and Angeal haven't mentioned that they're not in the story. They have. At least twice. Once before the Airbuster and once more when they're discussing SOLDIER (although, before the Airbuster it was more subtle eluding to the fact that the President only remembered Sephiroth and why not the two of them?). Hope we're on the same page now. :)
> 
> Come to my Discord! discord.gg/wMRR6R6
> 
> I've gotten some people saying that some of the previous links didn't work. I really don't know why, as they were supposed to be infinite uses with no expiration date, but if there are still issues, I will do my best to get you a new link if you can't get onto the network and want to.
> 
> Also, I may not be able to answer many reviews, but I look forward to and consider each and every one. Thank you!


	11. Cloud's Story Pt 2

Tifa hesitantly confirmed that she'd been waiting outside back in past Nibelheim while that entire discovery and miniature mental breakdown happened. Sephiroth got the distinct impression that she was hiding something…

Cloud explained that Game Sephiroth confined himself to the inn, refusing to talk to anyone. Then, for the first time, Tifa contributed to the story, talking about how Sephiroth just disappeared. Cloud said they found him inside the 'biggest building in Nibelheim'.

Genesis snorted. "What would that be? The water tower?"

Apparently it was a mansion, owned and abandoned by ShinRa. They'd seen it earlier, but Sephiroth had taken it for apartment housing or the like. Sephiroth couldn't say he was surprised, both about the fact that ShinRa left its mark on the town and the general upkeep (or lack thereof) of the 'unneeded mansion'. Also, the missing infantry man came back as Cloud found him in the house… after a lot of looking around. There wasn't much of actual interest until they got to the top floor. A strange indent in the back wall of one of the rooms practically begged to be inspected. When Angeal had Cloud walk up to the area, it opened to reveal a very rickety-looking ramp spiraling down into…. a tower of some sort? That led to an underground walkway – almost cave like – and ultimately what looked like a combination lab/library.

Once inside, Cloud found Game Sephiroth walking back and forth as he read from a book, talking about how a 2000 year old specimen had been found and how Gast named it Jenova.

Sephiroth stiffened further. Were they honestly implying that this _dead_ organism is somehow his mother?

"What the actual—" the Commander started, echoing Sephiroth's thoughts exactly.

"Genesis," Angeal cut him off, but it seemed half-hearted at best.

Game Sephiroth continued to read 'aloud' that Jenova was confirmed to be an Ancient. Wait… really? But… unlike Aerith (or Aeris or whatever her name was) he couldn't talk to the planet! They'd already had this argument.

Apparently Game Sephiroth hadn't put it all together yet because after more walking around, he asked if the names of his mother and this _specimen_ were just a coincidence… then asked why Gast didn't tell him everything. Much to his consternation, the real Sephiroth agreed. He'd been raised more or less in a lab, and Professor Gast (later, the recordings of the man he'd had access to, addressed specifically to him) had been one of the few highlights of his childhood memories. If Sephiroth had somehow been… _grown_ from that… _thing_ Red called 'the Jenova Specimin', why hadn't he been told? He fully expected Hojo to lie to him, but Gast? Could the man have been under some sort of gag order? Or had he not deemed Sephiroth – at the tender age of three – able to handle it before he'd disappeared, never to return? Sephiroth had heard Hojo bragging about the man's death a couple of years after he'd disappeared…. Had he meant to tell Sephiroth everything? Or had what Sephiroth had access to been doctored? That was… worryingly plausible.

That assumed the game was correct… which, it couldn't be, right? This was going too far… Sephiroth had always suspected there was something _strange_ about his existence, beyond the fact that he was more or less raised as a weapon for the company. He'd always assumed that had been his one and only purpose when it came to ShinRa. This certainly cast doubt on that suspicion.

He grit his teeth, somehow unable to move his eyes away from the screen. Perhaps the phrase 'glutton for punishment' applied to him as well and not just the Puppy.

Angeal moved Cloud to try and talk to Game Sephiroth, but all the pixelated figure said in response was 'let me be'. Apparently they didn't have a choice but to follow those instructions.

The game went into a sort of montage of Sephiroth reading and the books slowly piling up higher and higher.

Then Cloud woke on a bed… and the music turned rather ominous. Sephiroth caught the other two glancing at each other out of the corner of his eye, but couldn't seem to make himself do the same, unable to take his eyes off the screen. After a moment, Angeal moved Cloud out of the room. He wasn't at the Inn. Actually, he seemed to be sleeping in the mansion. An abandoned, dust-covered mansion…. That didn't strike Sephiroth as the best idea, but he brushed the thought aside as the figure on screen moved around the ruined building.

"We should check on S… the general in the game," Angeal said, shooting another glance at Sephiroth judging by the quick turn of his head.

"Call him 'Game Sephiroth'," Sephiroth heard himself say. His voice sounded all too tight.

"Go and check on… Game Sephiroth, then," Genesis said, trying and failing to hit that nonchalant tone he'd managed to give out so easily up to this point. Angeal had already moved Cloud down to the tunnels beneath the mansion, heading into the lab/library.

"Oh, and the books have magically disappeared," the red-head snorted.

"Sephiroth… er… Game Sephiroth could have just put them away," Angeal pointed out. "The person he's based off of is rather… meticulous at times."

Sephiroth appreciated his friends trying to lighten the mood. He really did. Even if it didn't work in the slightest. The comment fell into an awkward silence and so Angeal turned back to the screen and moved the game character on.

Game Sephiroth sat, laughing, in a chair behind a large desk, only asking who was there once Cloud came in. Shouldn't he know the footsteps of his own subordinate? His supposed friend?

'Traitor', the Game Sephiroth said.

Sephiroth's hands clenched tighter.

The character on the screen went on to explain how the planet used to belong to the Cetra, who somehow knew how to traverse space, or the like, because they would move around the universe (that was what Sephiroth inferred in any case), supposedly settle planets and then move on, ever in search of the 'Promised Land'. Those who didn't like the journeying would settle. Somehow, he could almost hear the derision in Game Sephiroth's voice when he said that… as if their actions were something disgusting or beneath him.

"Wait a moment," Genesis said, frown evident in his tone. "Cetra are _aliens_? I thought they were born of the planet…"

The other two didn't answer, much to the red-head's chagrin. He huffed and moved onto a new, if related thought. "If the Cetra were a race that moved from planet to planet in search of the Promised Land, then obviously they didn't find it on this planet. Shouldn't they have moved on?"

"Maybe they did find it?" Angeal said, uncertainly.

"Then why say some wanted to _stop_ searching for it if they'd found it?" Sephiroth asked, not through gritted teeth (he considered that a win). That seems like a rather strange way to phrase the sentence if they achieved their objective."

"If they had the ability to come across the cosmos, quitting the search once they actually reached a new planet seems rather pointless," Genesis said.

"Point," Angeal conceded.

Game Sephiroth went on to accuse those who wanted to stop journeying of taking from the planet and not giving a whit back.

"If they came in and settled the planet, then it wasn't really 'theirs'," Angeal pointed out, deadpan. Then he added on, as if in afterthought, "Unless there was no other sentient race here."

"Even then, an argument could be made," Sephiroth forced himself to say.

The other two didn't seem to want to add anything on to that.

Game Sephiroth went on to say that something hit the planet, and Cloud's ancestors, those who didn't want to journey any longer, hid. The planet was saved by sacrificing the Cetra.

"He's become unhinged," Genesis said. "That's the only reason I can see for his… rather strange logic jumps."

Sephiroth nodded shortly. If Cloud's ancestors were those who didn't want to journey and hid, that didn't mean they weren't still Cetra in origin? Or were they, perhaps, the local sapient species? What were the odds that two species would grow on two different planets to look like the other and be able to interbreed (at least, that's what Aerith being half Ancient implied)? The game character said that the Cetra were sacrificed… were they split into two factions? There was definitely more to the story than they were getting here.

Supposedly, the Cetra had gone extinct. (Although if the Cetra and the Ancients were the same, then that had already been proven wrong with Aeris.) Game Sephiroth claimed that a Cetra's body was found intact, somehow, and her cells had been used to make him.

To _produce_ him. As if he were just some… _thing_. It wasn't an unheardof opinion about him – about SOLDIERs in general – in the ShinRa higher-ups, but still, this took that rather disgusting ideal to a whole new level. He'd always suspected he was a test-tube baby, but seeing more possible proof for it still _hurt._ _S_ omehow, at the back of his mind, though, he knew it was true. It just made _sense_.

The real Sephiroth felt his heart stutter for a moment. According to the game, this 'Cetra' was his 'mother'? Was Jenova an Ancient after all? That mass of cells they'd seen in Hojo's lab... He would have expected Genesis to say something about how if that was a Cetra, then he'd be just fine remaining human, thank you very much. Fortunately, he was wise enough to keep his mouth shut for once.

Either that or he didn't have anything to say, although Sephiroth doubted it.

Game Sephiroth told Cloud to get out of his way, and that he was going to go see his mother.

The music changed again, adding more onto what had been there before. It didn't improve the atmosphere.

More game insanity applied next because while they followed right behind Sephiroth, apparently he'd vanished, despite him walking and Cloud running.

Before they could continue on, Angeal paused the game, causing Sephiroth to blink and finally turn to look at the brunet sitting next to him.

"Sephiroth, do you want us to continue this alone? You don't have to watch this…"

Was… he implying that Sephiroth was weak?

"I can handle it," he said shortly, turning back to the screen.

"I'm sure you can, but that doesn't mean you _have_ to," the dark-haired man stated firmly.

Sephiroth felt himself relax ever so slightly. So Angeal thought he could handle it but didn't want to force him to? How… considerate. But still, something inside him wouldn't let him quit now. It hadn't gotten to a point where he couldn't handle more. A simple game couldn't reach that point.

So he smiled at his friend, small but real.

"I'll be fine, Angeal."

The other looked uncertain, but finally nodded and picked the controller back up. "If you're sure…"

Genesis, again, didn't say anything. He could be over-confident and arrogant (not to mention beyond annoying and petty) but he wasn't stupid, and he could read an atmosphere. Thank Gaia.

The infantry man was gone when Cloud got back to the top of the stairs. Further investigation of the house revealed that no one else had remained either.

Then Cloud walked outside the mansion and into an inferno. The town was burning.

"What?" Genesis exclaimed, glancing over at Sephiroth again.

Any ease Angeal had helped produce vanished as Cloud ran down the steps leading to the town square.

Then someone named 'Zangan' (whoever that was) asked if Cloud was still sane.

A popping sound had Sephiroth looking down and drew the attention of the other two soldiers. He'd ripped the seam on his glove. His high-quality, soldier-resistant gloves.

He forced himself to relax his hands.

"Sephiroth," Angeal started, but the General cut him off.

"Just play."

The Silver General couldn't read the expression on the larger SOLDIER's face, but it certainly wasn't happy. Honestly, he wasn't completely sure he wanted to know what the other man was feeling. Pity? Fear? Did he really think Sephiroth would do what the game said he would? Or was he, again, just concerned…

Although, even that wasn't something he really wanted right now.

Reluctantly, Angeal did as Sephiroth said.

Cloud dodged around (through? Really? With his stats?) the fire and looked around at the burning town. Sephiroth would have expected a more extreme reaction from seeing one's home-town burning than a slump and shake of the head. More game insanity?

Zangan (they still had no idea who he even was) told Cloud to check for survivors in a house. But when they ran inside, all he did was come back out with another slump and shake of his head.

"Wasn't that his own house?" Genesis asked, voice sounding hesitant, like he didn't want to raise it.

"Yes," Angeal replied, voicing what they all knew.

Then Cloud called it 'terrible'. Called it 'too terrible'… like he was witnessing something he hated but that was not related to him at all.

Then the blond turned to face the way he'd come and saw Game Sephiroth cutting people down with rather clumsy swings of the game equivalent of Masamune.

Then it switched to a far more rendered close up of Game Sephiroth as he looked slowly up at, presumably, Cloud, smirk plainly on his face. He then turned and walked into the fire.

Which, again, made no sense. If the town had done something against ShinRa's wishes, then he needed to explain it to his fellow SOLDIER. If he'd turned (far more likely, at least in the narrative) against ShinRa – and likely humanity itself – then Cloud proved the biggest threat. Leaving him behind was not a sound decision.

Game Sephiroth truly had gone insane.

The real General's fists clenched again.

The game jumped to the Nibel Reactor and Cloud ran up the steps, presumably following Sephiroth again. Which did actually make sense, because that's where Jenova supposedly was (how did she get to Hojo's lab then?), but somehow a walking Sephiroth was still faster than a running Cloud. Unless he, a native of the region, had somehow gotten lost when Sephiroth hadn't.

If he'd been in a better mood, he may have shaken his head and sighed. Instead, he just glared at the screen.

Cloud ran into Tifa, who knelt over a sprawled form, presumably her dead father, seeing as Masamune lay behind her on the floor of the reactor. Sephiroth would never leave his sword laying anywhere like that. It was one of the few things he considered truly _his_. That did explain the previous flash the game had given of this scene. Well, it made sense in terms of the game and not real life.

"What were they even doing in the reactor?" Angeal asked. "They shouldn't have been able to get in."

"Unless they were following S – Game Sephiroth," Genesis stated.

"Why would someone follow him after what they'd seen in the town? Did Game Sephiroth drag the man up there?"

The Commander shook his head. "It makes more sense if they were already up there…" he said with a frown. "But what for?"

"Sabotage?" Angeal put forth.

"Hmm," Genesis responded, not sounding like he was confirming or denying it.

Sephiroth didn't say anything.

Tifa expressed her hatred of all things ShinRa (which really did explain current Tifa's attitude) before turning around, picking up the sword and running into the next room. Or at least he assumed she picked up the swords seeing as it vanished as she ran by it.

Cloud ran into the room after her, only to see Sephiroth talking to the door asking 'mother' to open it.

"He's asking a dead _thing_ to open a door?" Genesis asked, a little incredulous.

"He's insane and obviously not thinking straight," Sephiroth said, mentally congratulating himself for not growling, even if it was a near thing.

Tifa yelled at the game general and then ran towards him with the sword raised.

"She's just as mad as he is!" Genesis claimed. "Even an insane Sephiroth is still a deadly Sephiroth!"

The General wasn't sure if he should feel honored at the rather back-handed compliment. Instead he just said, "Game Sephiroth."

"Yes, yes," Genesis responded, waving his hand flippantly.

Sephiroth didn't want to start something over it, so he – with a will of iron – let it go.

Just in time to see Game Sephiroth wrench the sword away from the girl and slice her with it. At that close range…

"How is she alive?" Genesis asked. "She was sliced in half by a SOLDIER and then fell back down a flight of stairs on her back! She should be dead – or paralyzed at best!"

"Game insanity," Sephiroth said.

"Truly," Genesis agreed, shaking his head.

Sephiroth walked into the room, through the supposedly locked door… could Jenova somehow open the door? The… dead Cetra… surely not…

Cloud ran up to Tifa, who was _somehow_ still alive, saying things like 'you promise you'd come when I was in trouble.'

Then Cloud _picked her up…_

"Does he have _no_ training in field medicine?" Genesis practically yelled at the screen just as Angeal said, "Don't _move_ her!"

They paused and looked at each other, both letting out thin chuckles before moving on.

Angeal had Cloud run into the Jenova room after Game Sephiroth.

"You're just _leaving_ her there? She's still alive!" Genesis shouted.

"It's more important to confront ShinRa's enemy," Sephiroth said, drawing the others' attention. "It's what we're taught. The mission comes first."

"She's his childhood friend!"

"I don't think that's Cloud," Sephiroth said.

The other two blinked at him.

"He's been detached the entire time, like it wasn't his home burning."

"Then how does Cloud remember it enough to tell it in the future?"

Sephiroth frowned. "Game insanity."

The other two stared at him before Genesis shrugged his shoulders and Angeal sighed.

"Moving on, then," Angeal said.

The scene cut to some sort of twisted, mechanical angel. Or, at least, what looked like the bust of a woman with tubes coming out of the side of it like wings. The whole thing was strangely industrial and nothing like the headless body they'd seen in Hojo's lab.

Game Sephiroth spoke of how he had a great idea – to take the planet together and use it to find the Promised Land. Then Cloud came up behind him and, for the first time, seemed personally involved as he asked how Game Sephiroth could do that to his home town and his family. Game Sephiroth didn't even answer him directly, instead laughing at and talking to 'Mother' about how 'they've come again'.

Then he seemed to speak to Cloud, talking about how superior 'Mother' was and how she was always destined to rule the planet.

What.

"Where did that come from?" Angeal asked, sounding confused.

It switched to another, more highly rendered scene of Sephiroth somehow ascending (was he walking or gliding?) and reaching forward all the while going on about how the 'worthless beings' were 'stealing the planet' from 'Mother'.

It struck Sephiroth then.

"She's controlling him."

The other two jumped and Angeal paused the game.

"What?" Genesis asked.

"Sephiroth, she's a 2000 year old being. She has to be dead," the brunet said a little slowly, as if he were trying to piece together how Sephiroth had come up with what he had.

The General shook his head. "I don't think she's dead… or perhaps she wasn't alive to begin with. And I don't think she's an Ancient. But it explains everything – his changing moods, his leaps in logic. Somehow, she's controlling him or at least putting thoughts into… his…" he faded off as the implications fully sank in and he looked down at himself, unable to keep horror off his face.

Could it happen to him then? If whatever that thing was got near him, could it somehow call out to him? Play with his mind… take him over…

"That… would explain a lot," Genesis agreed, looking back at the screen, troubled. " _Dreams of the morrow hath the shattered soul. Pride is lost, Wings stripped away."_ Angeal had gone far beyond troubled, looking about as horrified as Sephiroth felt and so had likely come to a similar conclusion as the Silver General.

If that thing existed, it needed to be destroyed.

Yesterday.

He met Angeal's eyes and the other man nodded slowly. He had Sephiroth's back. They could make plans for either him or Genesis going to check the Nibel reactor because there was no possible chance Sephiroth would give himself up to something like that.

Then another thought occurred to him… did Hojo know?

If he found out the man did… if this was all true and Hojo did this to him… could he hold himself back from storming the Science department and slaughtering the man where he stood? He wasn't sure.

Something touching his arm brought him back to the present, and he saw Angeal's hand resting on him. The man looked like he was about to call a medic or something… which was probably the last thing he should do right now.

"Play on," he said.

"But," Angeal started.

Sephiroth shook his head harshly. "Play. On."

Angeal's brow furrowed even further. "I don't like this," he said.

"None of us do, I think," Genesis muttered, looking a little pale. So he'd likely caught on too.

The larger SOLDIER unpaused the game and they watched as Game Sephiroth tore the metallic, bust-like covering (why would anyone have something like that – and yet, it seemed like something Hojo would do just to take pleasure in people's reactions) to reveal a tank as lights brightened behind it.

Game Sephiroth looked elated.

The thing inside had the basic form of a woman, but also what looked like eyes poking out from her body in strange places, not counting the glowing eyes on her very much _there_ head.

"So, it _does_ have a head," Genesis muttered.

Sephiroth's gloves creaked as he tightened his fists again.

So that was 'Mother'.

That was supposedly what had given him his inhuman strength.

He could see why Game Sephiroth thought of himself as a monster if he had _that_ inside of him.

Then what did that make Sephiroth?

A monster, like the game said?

Did he really have that thing inside of him.

Was he really…

And as much as he'd told Angeal to play on, that thought was the straw that broke the chocobo's back.

He moved before he realized what he'd done, picking up the remote and turning the screen off. The room fell into an unnatural silence after that, with the other two watching him.

They didn't say a word. If they were anything like him, they didn't know _what_ to say. All he knew was how disgusted he felt about himself and the game producers and Hojo and ShinRa and…

And he understood Tifa's shout about how she hated everything ShinRa.

Finally Angeal ventured to say something.

"Seph—"

He didn't get any further before the Silver General stood.

"No," was all he said before he walked stiffly back into his bedroom, not even bothering to hide his intentions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Some of you thought the last chapter was a cliffie... heh... sorry? *ahem* I'll... um... go this way now.
> 
> Very, VERY fast.
> 
> Come scream at me on discord: https://discord.gg/zJQSDa8 (but please be nice about it).


	12. Consequences

Sephiroth paced the length of his bedroom multiple times going over everything in his head and simultaneously trying not to go over anything. The dichotomy wasn't helping. At all. How could any of this be true? And yet, the evidence suggested that it was. Or, at least, that it could be.

But somehow, he knew. He didn't know how, but…

He shook his head and went back to pacing back and forth. He had to get evidence. He had to figure this out. Where could he go? To Hojo? He may not be able to trust anything the man told him, but if he could get a hold of the records, Hojo never lied in his experiments. Not unless he was purposefully trying to mislead someone, like the President or…

He paused, blinking. The library under the ShinRa mansion… He had little doubt they would find such a place existed, but would Hojo go far enough as to sabotage his own experiments simply to place false information? Or… no, he never lied about his experiments to himself. That didn't mean he couldn't have false or misleading information planted after the fact. Had he known how Sephiroth would react, somehow?

" _When in doubt, seek information._ " That had been practically drilled into his head for as long as he could remember. And wasn't that what he had defaulted to now? If he was that predictable… Had Hojo planted that information specifically for him to find? He wouldn't put it past the man… Although, to what end? Then, again, he wasn't sure he wanted to know. It was Hojo, after all.

The suspicion didn't help. Now he felt more lost than ever. What was the truth? Was anything he'd ever believed true? For the first time in a long time, he felt lost, and he wasn't sure if he could get the stability he'd almost taken for granted back again.

A knock sounded on his door. He froze. He didn't know how long it had been since he'd left the living room, but it couldn't have been more than ten or fifteen minutes. He wished it would have been longer.

He opened his mouth to tell whoever was on the other side to go away, but stopped when he realized something that made his blood freeze. Driving people away, desperately making plans to seek out information, drawing conclusions that didn't help his mental stability…

He was acting like Game Sephiroth.

His mouth clopped closed, his eyes widened and he found himself staring down at his hands, almost not believing what he saw. They looked so human, and yet…

"Sephiroth?"

That was Angeal.

But he didn't want Angeal to see him like this.

He didn't want _anyone_ to see him like this.

Had that been Game Sephiroth's motivation in keeping everyone away too?

He felt sick. His knees started to shake and he had to sit on the edge of his bed, practically stumbling to it.

"Can I come in?" Angeal asked, voice muffled but easily understood.

Sephiroth couldn't bring himself to answer.

"I—" was the best he got out before his throat seemed to stop working. Why was his body betraying him like this? Because he was a monster? Because that _thing_ he'd been _grown from_ was likely real and trying to take him over? Was it _succeeding_? How was he supposed to know? How was he supposed to fight something he couldn't run his sword through or defeat with logic?

Angeal must have taken his response as a yes, because he opened the door and peeked in carefully. Sephiroth didn't look up, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw his friend's concerned expression intensify when his gaze fell on the silver-haired teen sitting on the edge of his bed trying not to utterly panic and failing. Badly.

"Genesis is making lunch," the brunet said softly, slowly opening the door and letting himself in. He closed the faux wood quietly behind him and approached Sephiroth like he was a wounded animal, tensed and ready to jump or defend if lashed out at.

Sephiroth didn't blame the man.

He wasn't sure the analogy was entirely untrue.

"I'm not hungry," he managed to get out. Well, at least his throat was working again.

"Do… you want to talk about it?" Angeal asked, lowering himself to sit next to Sephiroth carefully.

Sephiroth laughed incredulously, sounding all too hysterical, even to himself. "No."

"You… probably should," the dark-haired man said carefully.

He… wasn't wrong.

"But I'll go if you really want me to," Angeal hastened to say, sounding awkward, unsure and more like the third class he used to be than the first class he'd become. "I mean, it isn't very honorable to try and force someone to do something they don't want to do. And I understand how that must feel, well partially at least because—"

He must have realized he'd started to ramble because he snapped his mouth closed again. The comment almost made Sephiroth laugh. Almost.

Angeal used to just kind of let his thoughts out in a constant stream before he learned some control. It had been amusing. Sephiroth hadn't heard him do so – or almost do so – in years.

However, his thoughts couldn't wander down that rather pleasant and distracting line for long. His friend's worried face brought him back.

But could he talk about it?

He wasn't sure he even knew where to start.

There was, however, one question that kept shooting through his mind and seemed to be the only coherent thought he could grasp onto. That was the one he decided to voice.

"What if it's right?"

He wasn't sure who was more surprised – Angeal or himself – that he'd actually spoken, let alone that he'd voiced such an inane question. He'd already concluded that it most likely was right. And yet… he couldn't stamp out the hope that this was some sort of dream or prank or a false trail of some kind.

That he wasn't a monster…

But everything felt so buried inside of him and he suddenly – desperately – wanted to let it out. He hadn't felt like this for years – not since he was far younger and lacked control and Hojo had punished him for not containing himself—

He cut that memory off and returned to the question, forcing himself to focus on (marginally) less painful things, like his current crisis and the fact that he was acting like a game character who had his name and his strength but whom he'd seen as so unrelatable – so _alien_.

Of course, the character had also been somehow telepathically coerced by a non-ancient, undead being, but still. Sephiroth didn't think he was being coerced, but the thought that Game Sephiroth had likely thought the same thing didn't help.

"What if the game is right?" Angeal asked, verifying clarification.

Sephiroth took another breath and made himself stand. "Yes." He went back to pacing, ignoring his weak knees. It wouldn't be the first time he'd forced himself to physically do something despite what his body told him.

"It has been scarily accurate on too many things for me to dismiss this outright, game insanity notwithstanding. I cannot help but think that chances are… it is right about me too."

Angeal cocked his head to one side, eyes following Sephiroth. "How does that change anything?"

The General stopped and stared at his friend, incredulous. "How does it _not_ change _everything_?" he asked, voice slightly raised. He was losing control… this was not good.

He took a deep breath and went back to his pacing.

"If that… _thing_ is my… well, the equivalent of my _mother,_ what does that make me?"

Angeal just shrugged, folding his blocky arms firmly, looking more like a pillar despite staying sitting on the bed. Of the three of them, Angeal had always _looked_ the strongest. The fact that his fists were his preferred method of fighting probably had a lot to do with it. So did him insisting on carrying around a useless, gigantic sword that weighed almost half of what he did.

"It makes you a person who had no choice over the circumstances of how he came into the world."

Sephiroth whirled to face him. "I still have that monster inside me!"

"And look what you've done with it."

The Silver General paused, blinking.

Angeal sighed, his deep voice still coming through despite the lack of vocalization. "I don't know what was done to you by the science department – although I can guess. What I do know is that your men look up to you – especially those who know you. You do your job as quickly and efficiently as you can. You protect those under your care with a fervor that is frankly inspiring. You hold yourself to far too high of standards and somehow meet most of them.

"That doesn't even get into what you just did _last night_. You went into a facility, took down an entire human trafficking system, freed the victims, got them to a healer and then found places for them to restart their lives. Genesis and I were both _in awe_ this morning, no matter what he says. Although, as I do recall, he said you were a saint."

"He was joking," Sephiroth muttered, feeling slightly abashed for some reason. What he'd done was normal. Or it should be, in any case. That was what he could do, so he should do it. It was as simple as that, right?

Angeal obviously didn't agree. "He was only partially joking and frankly, I agree with him. Forget ShinRa, forget the propaganda and the hype. Even outside of that, you're a Hero, Sephiroth."

The two of them stared at each other in silence, Angeal with that determined expression he got whenever he came up against something he didn't agree with and Sephiroth with more than a little shock.

"I… am no hero."

"You are," Angeal insisted.

Sephiroth looked to the side. "Tell that to the Wutains."

Angeal shook his head. "That is war, and I know you hate it as much as I do. You take as little life as you can and are as respectful as possible. That is more than many other leaders I've met. You _are_ a hero, Sephiroth. To your men, to the people of Midgar… to me. And you are that despite what was done to you as a child. I don't care if they cloned that thing and you were the result, you are your own person and you are a _good_ one at that."

His voice quieted down to a soft plea. "Don't let them take that away from you."

Sephiroth was no stranger to praise. He received it all the time, and yet… Angeal's simple statements – as if he were merely presenting facts – felt different; more real.

"That isn't Commander Hewley speaking," the brunet went on, his tone more firm but still gentle. "That's coming from your friend, Angeal."

The Silver General just stared at him for several seconds.

Angeal must have taken that to mean he needed more… of whatever this was. Reassurance? Support? Sephiroth wasn't entirely sure…

"You could start spouting eyes in random places and your skin could turn pink or blue or gray or whatever color it is, and I would still believe in you, no matter what that stupid game says, because I've seen what you've already overcome."

He stood and walked up to his friend, putting a hand on Sephiroth's shoulder. "If you can't believe that for yourself, right now, can you at least believe me? Believe that I know the kind of man you are?"

Man, not monster.

Part of Sephiroth felt something he'd never really felt before – a sort of hollowness in his chest that was still somehow warm and welcoming despite also being painful. It came to his throat to catch again and he wanted to let it out.

What was this he was feeling?

"Yes," he finally said, but the thing caught in his throat caused it to break a little. Was that a… sob? Did he want to cry? Was that the appropriate response to a situation like this? Hojo wouldn't approve…

Which is why he stepped forward and lowered his head to his friend's shoulder. Apparently Angeal wasn't expecting it because he tensed up for a few seconds, but then he relaxed.

"Good. I believe in you, Sephiroth. I always will."

The silver-haired man refused to let out another sob, but just standing there, with his forehead on his friend's shoulder felt _relieving_ in a way he'd never experienced before.

They remained like that for another unknown period of time before Genesis called out to them that lunch was ready. He sounded supremely frustrated, which caused Sephiroth to smile and Angeal to laugh.

"Do you want to stop playing for the day?"Angeal asked.

Sephiroth actually thought about the question and pondered the answers. What would they even do for the rest of their day off? Go into work anyway? Go and train the Puppy? Either/or respectively? Leave the blasted game alone? Turn it off and give it to the Turks? He didn't like that idea. It would feel… unfinished to him. Like he'd left something too hard for him to do for someone else to deal with.

Actually, he supremely hated that idea.

As difficult as it might be to go through this game, they needed to… and part of him had to find out more.

"No," he finally said. "I can handle it."

With that, he stood straight, trying to get his point across.

Angeal frowned. "You don't have to—"

"But I do," Sephiroth said firmly. "I won't run away from this simply because I don't like it."

The dark-haired man's expression almost fell into a downright scowl. "I can respect that, but that still doesn't mean you have to." He held up a hand before Sephiroth could say anything himself. "Fine. But if you need a break, you tell us. That is my one condition for us to continue."

Sephiroth blinked at him for a few moments before nodding solemnly.

Before either one could say anything else, Genesis practically threw open the door and looked positively disappointed when he spotted the two of them.

"I was hoping for something more… dramatic. Perhaps coming in to find you two _kissing…_ "

Angeal spluttered indignantly while Sephiroth just rolled his eyes and went to stride past Genesis. "I don't," how did Zack put it when he'd overheard the oblivious boy the other day? "Swing that way."

Despite this, Genesis looked positively thrilled. "So, does that mean there is a woman in your life?"

"I don't swing… that way either."

A pause. "Which way do you… 'swing' then?" Genesis asked.

"Genesis!" Angeal practically hissed at him, sounding both horrified and embarrassed on top of the indignant tone.

Sephiroth just glanced at Genesis, eyebrows raised. "I don't."

It was Genesis' turn to splutter. He didn't see Sephiroth's grin as he went to sit back on the couch. Sephiroth had to admit, he did enjoy riling up his friends at times. Especially Genesis as he just made it so… _easy_.

Three plates of what looked like leftover pizza had been placed on the coffee table in front of each of their positions.

"So, are we going to continue then?" he asked calmly, reaching out to take a piece. He still felt rather sick, but with both Genesis and Angeal there with him, he could get through it – no matter how many potential hard truths it brought to light.

"I'll take the controller," Genesis said. "Otherwise you might break it."

Sephiroth shot an unimpressed glare at him but he wasn't wrong. So the General simply went back to his piece of pizza. It tasted… different from yesterday. And it certainly wouldn't be enough. Perhaps one of them should go and pick something up from the cafeteria?

Angeal handed the controller over to their red-haired friend before reaching for the remote for the screen. He turned it on to a pause icon. Sephiroth shot a glare at the screen, but in all honesty he was thankful they didn't have to go through all of that again.

Genesis unpaused the game. Cloud stood at the bottom of the screen asking about his sadness and pain from having his home town and family taken from him. It didn't move on from the screen, apparently needing a confirmation before doing so. The Commander turned and raised an eyebrow at his comrades, both of whom nodded at him.

He pressed the 'X' button and the scene continued.

'It's the same as your sadness!' Cloud claimed.

Sephiroth wasn't sure he agreed. It was similar, true, and just as painful in its own way, but it wasn't the same.

And even then. Sephiroth knew he wasn't always the best with social interactions and that he didn't often understand people's reactions, so if even he could pick up on Cloud's detachment in the town...

Then Game Sephiroth asked why he should be sad, completely negating Sephiroth's entire previous train of thought. He cringed ever so slightly. What did he have to be sad about? How about the fact that he'd just found out he was part monster? Or the fact that ShinRa raised him as a weapon knowing all of this? Or that Hojo had potentially done this to him on purpose? Or the fact that his entire life, if this were all true, was a lie? Or the fact that Game Sephiroth wasn't thinking straight?

Among other things…

Then Game Sephiroth claimed to be 'the chosen one to rule the planet'.

Sephiroth just blinked. Where had _that_ come from? Well, he supposed he could see the thought process going from 'I'm a descendant of the ancients who (supposedly) claimed this planet, they were wiped out, I have the power to rule it, I have claim to it, therefore I should be the next ruler,' but there were so many disputes and holes in that line of thinking. Maybe the one faction of Cetra had claimed the planet, but that didn't overrule all of the people currently living on it. They had just as much claim to it. And Sephiroth was at least partially descended from them as well.

He couldn't dispute that he had the power to take the planet if he wanted it… which, now that he thought about it, was rather terrifying. He looked down at his hand, still clad in his busted glove (why hadn't he taken those off earlier?). The kind of strength he could wield… He remembered hearing about how power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Was that part of what drove Game Sephiroth mad? Realization of that power.

He felt sick again and put the slice of pizza he'd been holding back down on the plate.

No matter what ShinRa thought and taught, might didn't automatically make right. Sephiroth thought he'd known that.

Of course, if his theory about the strange, supposedly dead not-ancient controlling (or at least influencing) Game Sephiroth… All it would have to do is repress a couple of moral thoughts and…

His hand started to shake a little.

He closed it into a fist and set it on his lap, looking up at the screen again, partially for a distraction, partially because he was determined to see this through.

Game Sephiroth said he had orders to take back the planet…

Order's from who? Jenova?

"Well, that practically confirms your theory about mind-control," Genesis said dryly.

Cloud said he'd trusted Game Sephiroth, that he wasn't the person he used to know anymore. The real Sephiroth agreed.

The game switched back and forth between Cloud and Game Sephiroth multiple times, slowly at first and then faster until it faded to white and they were back at the inn in Kalm.

Then Cloud said that was the end of his story and that he didn't remember anymore.

"They were about to fight and he simply forgot it?" Genesis asked, outraged.

"He could have hit his head or something could have happened to his body to a point where keeping the memories was less important," Angeal said.

Genesis snorted. "Likely, with those stats."

Cloud acknowledged that not moments later. In terms of skill, he couldn't have killed Game Sephiroth. So had 'Sephiroth' actually died?

"There are too many holes in his story," Sephiroth said. "We aren't getting the whole thing."

"I agree," Angeal said. "Some of his actions and the fact that he couldn't remember… it's too convenient."

"Hmm," Genesis said.

On the screen, Tifa said that official records stated that (Game) Sephiroth died. Aeris pointed out that those papers were printed by ShinRa and couldn't be relied upon. Sephiroth agreed.

Cloud said he wanted to know the truth about how Sephiroth died that night. Tifa said she didn't quite know how she lived too. Apparently her memories weren't extremely reliable either. Was that why she hadn't contributed much?

Aeris asked how Jenova could have gotten to the ShinRa building. Cloud pointed out that it easily could have been shipped. But when did it lose its head? And then Aeris asked how it had been taken out of the ShinRa building most recently. By Game Sephiroth? Who was supposed to be dead…

At that point, Barrett seemed to have enough likely due to frustration and a lack of answers. He almost threw a tantrum and said he wanted to get going. Genesis turned to his companions, eyebrows raised. Both of them nodded back, so he chose to agree.

Barrett went downstairs, but before Cloud could follow, Tifa asked how bad her stab wound had been.

"If she doesn't have at least a scar from a _slash_ like that," Genesis stated derisively, "I would be shocked."

"I think she remembers more than she's letting on," Angeal said. "But something is holding her back from speaking."

Sephiroth frowned. "Such as?"

Angeal shrugged. "I don't know."

They went downstairs with Red commenting about how interesting a story it was. Then Barrett gave Cloud a PHS…

"He didn't have one before?" Genesis asked.

"Who doesn't have a PHS these days?" Angeal agreed.

Sephiroth nodded. Communication around SOLDIER wouldn't be nearly as good as it was without PHSes. The fact that said device could only be used on the world map or at a save point also seemed strange, and limiting.

The party left the inn and then the town.

"So what does the 'PHS' function actually do?" Angeal asked, finishing his last slice of pizza.

Genesis shrugged, then went to the menu and clicked on it. A 'ring' type noise sounded and they discovered that that's how they could change party members. Genesis decided to stick with the party he currently had and they moved on.

"So, where are we supposed to go now?" he asked.

"The Mythril Mines, I suppose," Angeal replied, standing with his plate in hand. "You put the other pizza in, right?"

"Of course," the red-head said. Apparently he'd brought another one? Or had he had more than two yesterday and Sephiroth just hadn't seen it? Perhaps he'd run back to his own apartment?

Not that it particularly mattered.

"Good. I'll go check on it," Angeal said.

While he left, Sephiroth finally picked his cold pieces back up and began to force them down now that he was feeling a little better. He still didn't want to think about the new perspective he had on his power compared to the rest of the world, and what he could do with it if he so wished, or on the secrets of his past. Not yet. So he focused as best he could on the game and on eating and hoped that would be good enough as Genesis slowly made his way west.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: ACE SEPHIROTH FTW! What? It totally makes sense! Just saying. Well, maybe more Aro/Ace, but hey.
> 
> Anyway, Genesis and Angeal might seem a bit out of character here, but I have a personal theory that the degradation was screwing with their minds. Angeal, especially, did not make rational decisions, and Genesis' whole shtick wasn't even remotely rational. So this is what I imagine they would be like before the degradation starts messing with their heads. Angeal seemed like the rock (everyone was shocked when he left, Zack always seemed to want to go to him, Sephiroth couldn't seem to come to terms with it, etc.) If that's the case, he's probably the one used to talking people down and being as steady as he possibly can be.
> 
> I fully expect Sephiroth to try and return the favor once the degradation starts setting in. Dunno how successful he'll be, but yeah.
> 
> Also, Angeal prevented Sephiroth's early downfall. He really had started down that path with all of this information… but Angeal being a rock stopped it from going too far… for now. *evil cackle as she runs out*
> 
> Discord: discord.gg/wsuSnFb


	13. Chocobos, Zoloms, Ninja, and Junon Boats

Angeal came back with more pizza a couple of minutes later. He also passed around some drinks that had been on the far corner of the table as Genesis went around fighting more monsters. The brunet asked Sephiroth if he was alright, to which Sephiroth replied that he was. Angeal didn't look convinced, but he didn't push it further and they all settled in again.

Sephiroth's mind wasn't really on the inane fights the game characters encountered, though. He dwelt instead on his friend's question regarding his state of mind, and his subsequent answer that he was well. He wasn't _lying_ per se, he _was_ fine, just… taken back. His current state was very new for him. It had been years, if not decades, since he hadn't simply absorbed any concept explained to him. But with all the revelations from the game, this time he found he didn't particularly _want_ to absorb it, despite knowing that he should at least prepare himself for the likelihood of the game's truthfulness. He tried to ignore that childish want to hide away, with only some success. After a few minutes of growing more and more uncomfortable, he finally decided to force himself to consider what he had learned and slowly absorbing it, despite all of the issues it would bring up.

The more he seemed to grasp, the more he realized how much he hated this.

The whole situation.

And yet, he had time to process everything from a relative distance, so there was that, at least. If this had just been sprung on him, like it had been in the game... He still didn't think he'd act exactly like Game Sephiroth had, but still…

"There's the swamp, I think," Angeal said, breaking Sephiroth out of his reverie and pointing off to one side of the screen. A shadow moved in the depths of said swamp looking like a large snake.

"Is… that a Zolom?" the brunet asked, sounding more than a little shocked.

Sephiroth agreed. Either they grew a great deal in the next couple of years, or the scale size was off again. Personally, Sephiroth thought it would be the latter seeing as they'd just made another three (almost four) hour trip in less than ten minutes.

"Let's fight it," Genesis said with a grin, pushing Cloud to run into the Swamp.

"Wait!" Angeal said before his friend could go too far. The Commander turned the avatar around and got out of the swamp just as the shadow hit where they'd been.

"What?" the red-head asked, sounding annoyed.

"Save the game at least! We don't know how they would fare against a mutated Midgar Zolom."

Genesis frowned. "True," he said, a little grudgingly, as he headed to the menu and the, convenient save option they'd found there earlier.

"What about that group of buildings over there?" Sephiroth asked, pointing to the opposite side of the screen from the swamp.

The red-head shrugged. "We can explore those later."

"Alright, so…" Angeal started, and they went through the party, deciding to take Aeris and Barrett with Cloud for healing and ranged attacks. Then they ventured into the swamp.

The zolom thoroughly thrashed them when it brought out it's beta attack after a good five-minute fight. Up until that point, they'd barely been able to stay alive. The party died and… that was that. The three SOLDIERS stared at the screen as it faded to black.

"Did that just…" Angeal asked.

"Yes." Sephiroth said.

And apparently Zoloms did grow that big in the future… according to the game.

Genesis hit that he wanted to continue the game and then, with a scowl, he turned Cloud towards the buildings Sephiroth had pointed out earlier when the map came up. No one said a word.

The buildings turned out to be a chocobo ranch. Sephiroth did know of a couple in that direction, and wondered which one the game thought would be the only one to last for a couple of years.

As soon as they entered the area, Genesis walked up to the fence, behind which, a chocobo stood.

"Perhaps we need one of these?" he asked.

"They do run faster than humans," Angeal said thoughtfully.

Genesis turned to him, looking affronted. "I won't simply outrun the Zolom! I will get them all strong enough to fight it! Fighting it from the back of a chocobo would give an advantage and be sufficiently dramatic."

Angeal sighed and Sephiroth snorted.

"Genesis, that could take hours. We don't have the time," the brunet said patiently.

The red-head scowled, then sat back in his seat, pouting.

Angeal just shook his head.

Genesis pressed something, probably hoping to get the bird to react somehow. Normally Sephiroth wouldn't condone just taking a bird like that, but how many other things had Cloud stolen recently? So he stayed quiet.

To their surprise, a menu came up.

They were supposed to say 'Wark!' or 'Warrrrrk!' back to the bird.

What utter ridiculousness.

Apparently Genesis agreed because he just pushed 'X' and they watched, a little surprised, as the chocobos did a dance and then gave them a summon materia. One Sephiroth had never heard of before called 'Choco-mog'.

The owner of the farm, one 'Choco-Bill' (what a ridiculous name) recommended they get a chocobo to cross the marshes. He informed them that they were supposed to talk to the man's grandson, 'Choco-Billy'.

Seriously? Who named these people?

Sephiroth made a mental note to volunteer to go to Choco-Bill's farm/ranch and verify.

They ended up using the man's spare rooms for a hundred gill not a bad deal to rest and restore their HP.

Afterwards they had Cloud go and speak to Choco-Billy, who informed them that the farm didn't have a chocobo to spare. Then an entire menu about how to catch a chocobo sprang up. Oh. Well, then, it seemed they were going to catch a wild riding mount then.

The instructions all seemed rather pointlessly convoluted to Sephiroth, but he dutifully memorized the procedures nonetheless.

Then Choco-Billy said he'd sell them a chocobo lure for 2000 gil.

They had a little over 400.

Genesis swore at the representation of the little boy. Vehemently.

They spent the next hour going around and fighting the loco weed and other monsters that popped up in the area.

Meanwhile, Sephiroth found his thought process returning to his earlier train. Unfortunately, little had changed. The best he could do was come a sort of uneasy truce with the information he'd been handed.. and honestly, he felt that was an accomplishment. Not one of the caliber he was used to, but still... Potentially, his 'mother' was a strange not-Ancient… _thing_ that was somehow still alive after 2000 years of being buried (he didn't even know where – near Nibelhiem?). He had about as much information about his father when he'd inquired after him, but the SOLDIER suspected a human donor or he would have ended up looking rather more like the strange figure behind the metalic bust. Somehow, between her cells and the mako injections he'd likely been receiving since birth (or at least as long as he could remember), he'd gained the inhuman strength common to all SOLDIERS, and then some.

Which begged the question: _Why_? Why did he get this strength that few others could come remotely close to? Why had he always been so different? Why him? Or, why _just_ him? Especially when it seemed that Genesis, Angeal the other firsts and even the Puppy would be good bases to work with. Did he have so much more strength than normal because of the process that made him, or the genetic material they'd used as a basis? Sephiroth was a blatant success, so why hadn't they grown more SOLDIERS from birth?

He came up with a few potential reasons…

He didn't like any of them.

First, he was just too 'expensive'. ShinRa was nothing if not about profits, and Sephiroth knew he was a good SOLDIER and he fulfilled the role ShinRa needed him to – winning battles and wars and posing as a hero when he really wasn't, (no matter what Angeal said) for the company's propaganda. If the experiment he belonged to was such a success, it very likely had to do with money. Growing a SOLDIER couldn't be cheap, and ShinRa always looked for ways to cut costs, even at the expense of quality.

Reason number two? They feared him. And rightly so, it would seem (at least, if the game was anything to go by). He was a very strong individual. The idea of using that strength to make people cower before him made him sick, though. He'd been there before, with every Wutai village they took over, and he had to admit that there was a rush to coming out on top, but that was the _challenge_ of it, not the sheer satisfaction of lording power.

Wasn't it?

Not wanting to dwell on that thought, he quickly moved on to reason number three. As distasteful as some possible conclusions from reason two were, he found he liked three even less. Perhaps ShinRa _had_ 'grown' other SOLDIERS with similar methods to how they'd gotten him. He just wasn't aware of them. His eyes shot over to Genesis and Angeal. They hadn't grown up in labs, but did that mean they weren't somehow engineered? What about Zachary? Or were there labs somewhere buried deep down inside ShinRa that never saw the light of day crawling with little potential SOLDIERS like Sephiroth?

He made a mental note to check because no one deserved that fate.

And the last reason? He was a rare success and those 'monsters' in the Nibel reactor (if there really were any) were what happened when the process failed.

Maybe some unholy combination of all of the above?

Sephiroth knew he was the best; the strongest; the man who could confront armies and win. He'd always known it, but for some reason, it had never really occurred to him that he held far more political power than he realized because of it. No one left ShinRa. But… could he? Especially if Angeal and Genesis followed, could anyone really hope to stop them? The Turks might have a way, but even if it were only just the three of them, it would be a nigh-impossible task. And how many men would go with them if they really decided that would be best – for them, for the population, for the planet? Many SOLDIERS of all three classes (and half the infantry) were loyal to the firsts more than the company…. Could they afford to do it? Where would they go? How would ShinRa react? By sending all battalions after them? He didn't like that idea. Too many lives would be lost, mostly infantry (on both sides), but undoubtedly some of his SOLDIERS as well.

Would it be a good idea to leave? Which was worse, leaving and attempting to make their own way and their own lives while somehow trying to find a way to keep up with the mako shots* they needed... or subjecting themselves to the likes of Hojo? Could they change the company from the inside? Somehow convince President ShinRa that his methods weren't conducive to long-term growth of a company? What about Genesis and Angeal? Would they even want to leave?

Was he actually considering this?

Perhaps heneeded to stop thinking about it and come back to it later, when he wasn't still reeling from everything the game had given out.

And yet his mind kept returning to everything the game said about him directly, and SOLDIER more indirectly. He had his two friends and his men. How could he protect them from what was (potentially) coming?

That, of course, didn't even count the potential disaster of the Sector 7 plate. The fact that the President _could_ do something like that, let alone that he would, needed to be addressed. Would they be able to do anything about that if they left?

Shaking his head, he forced his thoughts away, looking for something else to keep his mind busy. Fortunately, they were playing a video game at the moment, and Genesis seemed to be getting rather frustrated at the monotony of trying to get enough gil to buy the chocobo lure. Oh, and somewhere along the way, they'd gone back to the ranch to rest up and had discovered that 'someone else' had gone by, heading for the marshes. Somehow, Sephiroth got the feeling they'd soon be following another blood trail.

Still, as Genesis seemed to be getting closer and closer to just throwing the controller, Sephiroth offered to continue in his stead. The red-head agreed, thankfully, practically thrusting the controller at him. Not three battles after he took over gameplay, they had enough money for the chocobo lure. Genesis just about smashed the coffee table.

He calmed slightly when he found out that they then had to get the gil to buy greens.

And after that, they had to catch the chocobos.

Sephiroth switched out the party for some variety and was surprised at how much stronger Cloud and the previous party had gotten. They'd also figured out some more about the limit breaks and switched those around, getting everyone started on their second one (apparently, there were four possible, and 2 sides to each).

In any case, almost an hour and a half after they'd gotten to the farm, they finally caught a chocobo. Angeal made them save the game before they went into the swamp, just in case. Sephiroth also switched the party back to Genesis' original party of Aerith and Barrett as they were stronger. Just in case.

It was a good thing they did, because they still ran into the stupid Zolom.

The Zolom thrashed them again with the stupid Beta attack.

Sephiroth contemplated throwing the game system out his window and watching it completely shatter on the ground several stories below. He never would go through with that thought in regards to a gaming system that wasn't his, but he couldn't say it wasn't a satisfying thought.

He wasn't used to losing.

They reloaded the game and the second time was a charm.

They got off the chocobo once they reached the other side and then headed towards what was likely supposed to be the Mythril Mines (although it looked more like a giant hole in the side of the mountain…) and the game cut to an uncontrolled scene where one of the Midgar Zoloms they'd just been utterly defeated by was skewered on the remains of a dead tree… courtesy of Game Sephiroth.

If watching the group lose to even a large Zolom wasn't a reminder of just how much power he had at his disposal as compared to other people, that certainly was. But _why_ would he do that? It seemed needlessly cruel to just skewer the thing. And why hadn't it dissipated back into the lifestream yet?

The three of them exchanged glances before Sephiroth moved them into the Mythril Mines, which ended up more like a maze than anything. It only took them about ten minutes to get to the end of it where they met Turks.

Rude asked if they remembered him.

"How could we possibly forget?" Genesis practically hissed at the screen. "You dropped _an entire plate_!"

Sephiroth agreed.

Rude went on to explain the Turks before he seemingly had to stop. Then a new Turk Sephiroth had never met in real life, named Elena, took over, claiming she was the newest member while giving far too much information away. He could believe her.

Then Tseng came in and reprimanded her before she could embarrass herself more.

Apparently, in the future, the SOLDIER prerequisites weren't the only thing that had gone down in quality.

The leader of the Turks expressed, in some rather clever double speak, that Aerith didn't need to worry about ShinRa coming directly after her as they were chasing Game Sephiroth and then warned her to stay out of the company's way. Or the Turk's way. It was rather the same, wasn't it?

The party followed the Turks outside, and they were nowhere to be found of course.

"In the note Aerith gave me, it said that running through the woods on this side of the Mythril Mines would get us our next member, Yuffie. Um… that forest in particular, I think."

It took them four fights and far too much wandering in circles to find the fight they were looking for.

"That's a ninja!" Genesis exclaimed as soon as they saw the girl on the screen. "From Wutai! I'm positive of it!"

"I agree," Sephiroth said through tight lips. Angeal didn't say anything.

They hit a snag almost at the beginning of the scene at the end of the fight as there was a save point in the upper portion of the screen that Sephiroth almost immediately headed towards.

"It says not to approach the save point! That it's a trap!" Angeal said, reading over the paper he'd gotten from Aerith.

Sephiroth immediately lifted his thumbs from the controller and blinked. That seemed awfully… contrived, but it wasn't the worst decision the game designers had made so far, so he repressed a sigh and turned to speak with the groaning girl on the ground.

The first menu that popped up with a choice for them to make caused more issues when she basically challenged them to another fight. Genesis was all for it and Sephiroth didn't particularly care, but he turned to Angeal, who shook his head.

"No, that results in her getting away with some of our property," Angeal muttered, sounding disapproving.

Genesis looked offended at the thought of a girl – likely a child from how she spoke and acted – robbing them. Sephiroth simply followed Angeal's advice.

He didn't have a problem choosing the next correct option as it was what Sephiroth would have said. Or something similar in any case. She asked if he was pretty scared of her, and he answered an obviously sarcastic 'petrified…'.

When she threatened to leave, Sephiroth honestly wanted to just let her go, as did Genesis, but Angeal convinced him otherwise. The Silver General asked her to wait a second and she turned around. Everyone else walked up to her.

Then she assumed they wanted her to go with them.

The menu came up to ask her name, and Sephiroth went to choose that, obviously.

"Don't ask her name!" Sephiroth very nearly jumped at that. He turned to stare at Angeal.

"Why is this so important, Angeal?" Genesis asked. "If she's important to the game, we'll eventually get her in the party."

The dark-haired man looked down at the instructions. "Whoever sent us this game – whoever wanted to send us this message – wanted us to get these people into the party. Call it a hunch, but I think it's important."

" _My friend, the fates are cruel! No dreams, no honor remains,_ " the red-head replied, annoyed. Apparently the outburst had startled Genesis into one of his 'Loveless Only' modes.

Angeal frowned, reading the subtext far better than Sephiroth thought he could. "Fine, I apologize for shouting like that and scaring you—"

" _My soul, corrupted by vengeance hath endured torment to find the end of the journey In my own salvation, And your eternal slumber."_

The largest of the three of them grit his teeth. "I'm _sorry_ for shouting, but please just trust me."

The other two looked at each other, then Genesis shrugged.

" _Even if the morrow is barren of promises, Nothing shall forestall my return."_

Not quite a 'you're forgiven', but it was as close as Angeal would get from Genesis – mainly because getting Genesis to admit he'd been startled in so many words would be like pulling teeth. Sephiroth, on the other hand, looked at his dark-haired friend closer, scrutinizing. He'd known the game had gotten to all of them, but he hadn't realized just how much it worried Angeal if he was acting like this.

The best he could probably do at this point was play along. So he turned around and pressed the second option – the one that had the party just walking away. Then the name board popped up.

"Yuffie," Angeal said, frowning. "Why spell it like that if she's from Wutai? Wouldn't it be 'Y-U-F-I'?"

"Similar to the Princess?" Sephiroth asked.

Then they all stopped and thought about what he'd said. "You… you don't think…" Angeal started.

" _Wings of light and dark spread afar…_ " Genesis said.

"Surely it is a coincidence," Sephiroth said. "She would be eighteen at the oldest. Likely younger."

When Angeal spoke, his voice was quiet, but had an edge to it. "You were sent to fight at fourteen. When we joined, we were sent at fifteen and sixteen respectively. That isn't an uncommon age for SOLDIERs."

"We had support," Sephiroth reminded them. "It must be a coincidence."

The other two exchanged glances.

"Since when is anything in this game a coincidence?" Genesis asked softly, and maybe a little bitterly, finally snapping out of his Loveless quoting.

The three friends continued to stare at each other before turning, almost as one, back to the screen and the girl on it who was laughing about how it was all part of her plan…

Then they continued on.

xXx

"Is that Fort Condor?" Genesis asked after they'd wandered around a bit, fighting battles and trying to figure out where to go now that they were past the Mythril Mines. The most logical choice would be Junon (as that had also been eluded to by the Turks), but they'd run into what looked like a large bird on top of a blue building-like shape near the sea on the way.

Fort Condor was at least two hours out of the way of the route from the Mythril Mines to Junon. Sephiroth had had to study that area of the world a couple of times for the purpose of missions.

Ridiculous. This game was just ridiculous.

And apparently someone had taken the reactor there over and 'settled in' for a long war against Shinra.

"Then _why_ can we just walk up to it?!" Genesis asked, sounding like he'd throw the controller at the screen if he'd held it. It was good that Sephiroth still had it, then.

"So, do we wish to stay and commit treason, or do we want to go find out what's going on?" Genesis postulated.

It didn't take them long to decide. All of three seconds later, they all nodded.

"Junon," Angeal said. Neither of the other two disagreed.

"Check and see their limit break status," Genesis said. "Let us see if they have leveled up sufficiently to move to their next limit break."

Angeal snorted. "If only limit breaks were that easy in real life."

Genesis nodded smugly.

Most of the currently equipped characters could learn their level two limit breaks thanks to the hour they spent wandering around the chocobo ranch to fight the zolom. Sephiroth didn't like the idea of having low-level characters, so he switched Aerith and Barrett out for Yuffie and Red XIII.

The red-head of the group gave him no small amount of grief over it. Sephiroth ignored him.

He spent a good ten minutes wandering around and fighting monsters to try and get the two of them up to a better standard before he finally (according to Genesis) went into Junon.

Sephiroth had never, personally, been to the underplate of Junon. It was significantly smaller than the Midgar Slums, but he didn't think it was actually as small as the game portrayed. And, of course, they couldn't get up to the top to catch a boat that should be able to help them follow Game Sephiroth.

Who… somehow had a way to get overseas?

They met a little girl who could talk to dolphins. She didn't like them initially, but then a sea monster came in and they had to fight it. It wasn't a difficult fight, per se, but it wasn't exactly easy either as Sephiroth hadn't spent as much time as he would have liked leveling the characters up.

Still, they eventually succeeded and the floating sea monster (seriously, it floated in the air?) vanished. Of course, they hadn't realized one of the big waves had gotten the little girl.

Who looked very dead, but apparently could be revived by some extremely unbelievable CPR.

"That isn't how CPR works," Genesis grumbled. Angeal nodded solemnly.

They kept wandering around town after that, although people seemed to be far warmer to them than when they'd first arrived. One of the people even let them stay in their house for free to rest. Which was good because Cloud wasn't the only member of their party who had had to be brought back with a Phoenix Down.

Of course, as they slept, more words came onscreen with creepy music. Cloud could seemingly talk to the voice as he asked who it was. They simply said he'd find out soon, then spoke of the Nibelheim incident five years before.

It actually went through and began to ask a couple of questions about Cloud's memories and where Tifa had been… why she hadn't seemed to recognize him. It told him to ask Tifa. Cloud said he would.

When he woke up (and Tifa was conveniently there), she avoided answering the question by saying she didn't remember, and then had Cloud come see something outside.

"That isn't suspicious at all," Genesis scoffed.

The music had changed to something more march-like and upbeat… and annoying.

Cloud's group had gathered around a set of stairs. He'd only gone half-way up when the door opened and the little girl from before came out and thanked them and apologized for thinking they were ShinRa. It was kind of amazing how much ShinRa hate this game portrayed. Was it because that's what the creators wanted, or because that's what they actually saw – what the general populace was really like?

Still, they got a Shiva Materia from it, so there was that at least. Although Sephiroth didn't approve of a child giving away a family heirloom like that. To be fair, it was a baby materia, so perhaps it had just been born from another one? Likely.

They also found out that Junon was rehearsing in preparation for the new president's reception.

Barrett had something to say about that.

So did Priscilla (the little girl had introduced herself). She hated what ShinRa had done to her home town. Sephiroth frowned. It sounded like the slums of Midgar, but worse. It bothered him that he wouldn't know.

Just one more thing to verify. The list was getting rather long…

The next half-an-hour was spent trying to climb into Junon with the help of a dolphin, of all things. It really said something when Sephiroth thought that was one of the more ludicrous things he'd seen in the game.

The infantry men they ran into in Junon didn't recognize a SOLDIER 1st class uniform at all and insisted he dress like them, giving him an easy in to the army (he didn't even want to think about the implications of a security breach like that). Then they'd been to join a parade, and they'd have to sneak into. Conveniently, every. Single. Platoon had a nice, open space for him to sneak to. With Heidigger, that would have _never_ happened.

Once they _finally_ got the timing right there, they marched with the parade, followed by Sephiroth nearly breaking the controller when he couldn't get the movements for a salute for Rufus correct. After a moment of taking calming breaths, he handed the controller over to Angeal, who took it gladly.

The timing on the game was obviously off and didn't account for his SOLDIER reflexes. That was the only explanation he could find to explain the utter disaster that had been. How he hadn't been discovered, even by incompetents, went beyond him.

They also found out that Hojo had disappeared. He'd _quit,_ ShinRa… yet another event that made absolutely no sense.

The whole point of sneaking up through the base turned out to be superfluous anyway as the others from this version of AVALANCHE had somehow been able to slip in. Handing the game controller over to Angeal had been the right call.

And if Sephiroth ever saw guards who missed a four-legged creature trying (very poorly) to imitate one of their men, he'd deal with them personally. There was incompetent, and then there was just lazy. Of course, they were under Heidegger, so he probably shouldn't be too terribly surprised. The man was many things, and he could be competent, but usually just tended to be overly harsh and riding high on his power trips. The game caught that fairly well. One of the few things he could assign 'fairly' to instead of 'incredibly' that didn't fall back to the limitations of the medium.

They had to have Cloud talk to more or less everyone on the ship (twice), both above and below deck, before the infantry man guarding the front of the ship moved and Cloud finally found Barrett. However, this was not an unproductive use of time as they did also find an 'all' materia… just lying around… he'd really like to find the people who seemed to think that leaving priceless artifacts in random places was a good idea. Still, he appreciated the small positive. He had to look for them in this game. Somehow, he didn't think that playing games was supposed to be this… frustrating (or worrying).

They walked up on crouching Barrett, dressed in a sailor suit (it was obviously _far_ too small, and bordering on inconceivable that anyone wouldn't spot it immediately), he was eavesdropping on Rufus ShinRa and Heidigger in the bridge. The Eco-terrorist wanted to barge in and take the two out right then… and honestly, from a pragmatic view point, Sephiroth agreed. They were trapped on a ship and it didn't look like there were many guards inside… it would have made sense for them to attempt something like that, as long as they had an escape route. Sephiroth highly doubted they did. Which might be why Cloud stopped him.

Before either one of them could argue much, an alarm went off and a voice sounded over the speakers saying that a stow-away had been found. Had it been Aeris?

The current AVALANCHE quickly gathered together (in the middle of a ship – enemy territory, for all intents and purposes – not suspicious at all – perhaps he'd been doing this for a little too long if he was starting to sound as sarcastic as Genesis…) and somehow jumped to the conclusion that the stow-away was Game Sephiroth.

How did they jump to that conclusion?

Game Insanity.

Yuffie seemed particularly afraid of Game Sephiroth, which made the real one want to look away. The Wutaians had every right and reason to hate him. Him and anyone associated with ShinRa.

Once again, they found themselves following a trail, although instead of blood, it was bodies. Those that could still talk (not many) spoke of little but how the stow away 'wasn't human'. It bothered the Silver General that Cloud didn't use potions or cure materia on anyone they found – true, they may not be able to save people in dire enough situations, but it certainly wouldn't hurt to _try_. He forced himself to focus on that instead of the non-human insinuations about Game Sephiroth. He had to consciously loosen his clenched teeth but otherwise refused to let his frustration with the game creators show. He knew they hated him. It shouldn't bother him like it did whenever they brought it up.

It shouldn't, but for some reason, it did.

They spoke to the only person actually standing, only to have them turn around and fall on the floor, sprawling out and disappearing… obviously dead.

And then…

"Apparently they think you can somehow move through solid objects," Genesis stated dryly as Game Sephiroth rose _through_ the floor. "I've heard of placing people on pedestals, but this is rather ridiculous."

Sephiroth appreciated the comment, and acknowledged it by turning to look at Genesis and offering him a small nod. Genesis must have seen him for the side of his mouth twitched up.

Game Sephiroth didn't seem to remember Cloud at all. He said something about the time being 'now'… and then _flew_ by, knocking everyone down and leaving a giant… _thing_ for them to fight. A thing named 'Jenova Birth' for some incomprehensible reason.

That was the first fight they lost since the Zolom.

It was the first fight that made them redo events.

Sephiroth was beginning to think that there had to be a new word for something more than 'frustrating' but not quite 'furious'. Fury indicated a raging storm, but his emotion felt far colder than that. Far more calculated and… vindictive. And it bothered him that it took a _game_ to bring this out in him.

He took a deep, silent breath and tuned the game out for a moment to center himself while Angeal leveled their characters up. Then he and Genesis played with the different materia combinations and they went into the fight again. Thankfully, they won. All three of them were grateful for that one. At least Genesis seemed to have a new appreciation for the subtly that could be found in the materia system now.

Sephiroth didn't.

Perhaps he was being childish, holding his own personal grievances with the game creators against the characters, but he doubted anyone could tell him it wasn't justified.

Oh, and Jenova Birth left a wriggling _tentacle_ behind. Just what did these people think his 'mother' was? The tentacle disappeared and Aeris, who they'd needed in their party for healing purposes, said she didn't understand and asked if Cloud could explain it. Sephiroth didn't think he could, but Angeal clicked on the 'I'll try' option.

Cloud went on to say that Game Sephiroth went in search of the promised land to gain enough power to rule the world. (Sephiroth most certainly did _not_ wish to rule the world – too much paperwork, thank you very much.) Then Game Sephiroth came back and killed President Shinra. and all the game characters had just seen him and he was carrying Jenova, so apparently he wanted to take her to the Promised Land too… which was all Cloud knew.

"That explained precisely nothing," Genesis pointed out.

Angeal sighed and paused the game just as a boat whistle blew and someone announced that they'd be landing in Costa Del Sol soon. Both of the other SOLDIERS turned to him.

"So, what's for dinner?" Angeal asked, breaking the tension that had been there almost since Sephiroth came out of his room.

Despite himself, Sephiroth smiled softly. He was very lucky the only people to really try and be his friend were valiant, trustworthy people who cared – no matter what Genesis tried to get everyone to think.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Sephiroth has been told that he needs mako shots. Genesis and Angeal get mako shots, albeit at fewer intervals, and since all SOLDIERS get at least quarterly checkups, Sephiroth has come to the conclusion that all SOLDIERS need them. Hint, they don't. Hojo's lies again.
> 
> Eh, I am not particularly happy with this chapter. I've gone through it so many times and then AO3 wouldn't let me log in and my Internet's been spotty and I've been with family all weekend and… things have been busy.
> 
> I forgot to post the AMAZING fanart I'd gotten last week! *headdesk*
> 
> https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/728052442637271151/761695567318745148/imgonline-com-ua-twotoone-QrTDOjcQS093sW.jpg by xAshes
> 
> https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/728052442637271151/766531243239014430/imgonline-com-ua-twotoone-JPmpRJhRMc.jpg Also by xAshes
> 
> Alternate links to those above if they don't work:   
> https://sta.sh/01xkhw4a3wx   
> https://sta.sh/02qfcmpfi4s  
> You have to right click on them/long hold on a phone to view them (view image), but they should work. 
> 
> https://sta.sh/028l9ps5gxqr by Mettaur
> 
> https://sta.sh/01oh0jzuebtc Also by Mettaur
> 
> Thank you so much! 3 Stars in eyes
> 
> You can also view them on my Discord: discord.gg/qNpruuW


	14. Corel and the Gold Saucer

They decided to do a Wutain food delivery order and spent several minutes doing that. The man said he'd deliver to the ShinRa building in an hour but that someone would have to be in the lobby to meet him. It was a little early for dinner, but Sephiroth didn't mind.

After that had been taken care of, the three SOLDIERS returned to the game.

Still below deck, the three characters inside the game decided to leave. The game returned control to the player (still Angeal) and he picked up an Ifrit materia.

"They're getting materia left and right," Angeal commented, sounding a little put out. "I wish materia were that easy to find in real life."

Genesis snorted but apparently didn't feel the need to comment.

Cloud lingered behind, looking at the area where they'd fought the Jenova creature. 'I wonder if the Promised Land exists,' he said.

There was the question of the day.

The ship landed (after turning in the water in ways that likely couldn't ever actually happen) and everyone just walked off the boat. Despite being stow-aways. Well, it had been a while since they'd run into some blatant game insanity. At least Barrett acknowledged that he 'said goodbye to the sailor suit', although apparently some of the team had liked it. Tifa told Barrett to use said suit as pajamas. Sephiroth thought that it had looked rather… amusing, now that he thought about it.

Then the martial artist asked Cloud to agree with her and a menu popped up.

What.

Angeal, for some unfathomable reason, picked to agree with her and then Cloud said something about a bear wearing a marshmallow.

What?

Then everyone went wandering off. Randomly. Because Cloud said so. At least Barrett asked who made Cloud the leader, but he still went along with everything the blond said.

No sooner had they gone, then a helicopter landed with what seemed to be the ShinRa theme song in the background.

It wasn't a nice song.

Sephiroth approved.

"Did one of those people just fly off the landing pad for the helicopter when it landed?" Genesis asked.

Sephiroth had seen it too. "Yes."

"Helicopters aren't that strong," Angeal said with a frown.

"Why did Rufus take a boat if he had a helicopter at his disposal?" Sephiroth asked.

"It could have been that he didn't want to wait for one to come across the sea when he could simply go and meet it?" Angeal theorized weakly. "Or it was brought in from another base?"

Sephiroth supposed that could be the case, but mainly he chalked it up to more game insanity.

Rufus spoke about how he knew Game Sephiroth, as well as Cloud and his merry band of misfits, had all been on board. He blamed Heidegger. Sephiroth wondered who Heidegger would take it out on, as the man never tended to own up to his mistakes well.

Rufus said to 'do something' (although what he expected, Sephiroth didn't know) and then walked off to the helicopter.

Before he'd even gotten on board, the larger man had already pushed both sailors in the vicinity off the pier and ran for one of the onlookers who had been jumping in the water earlier. Said onlooker beat him to he punch and got out of the way. Smart man, even if he was wearing very little. Sephiroth supposed he shouldn't judge though. It was, after all, a very warm vacation town.

Back to the main group, they had Cloud run around the town restocking their supplies, randomly running into the other current members of the group.

Yuffie was selling materia.

 _How_.

But the worst development they found on the beach. One Professor Hojo. With girls. Around him. He'd never cared about that before so… why? Well, if he'd resigned, then perhaps he had 'retired', Sephiroth supposed, but somehow Hojo had never struck him as the retiring type.

Then the game presented a decision: recognize Hojo or talk about a girl in a bikini. Somehow the latter answer didn't seem to fit with Cloud, but the idea of acknowledging Hojo didn't appeal to Sephiroth in the slightest.

"Pick the bottom one," Genesis said. "About the girl in the bikini."

Sephiroth raised an eye at his mischievous smile, then rolled his eyes.

Angeal sighed and did as his friend had asked.

Tifa got a little upset and said to go and talk to Hojo. Unfortunately, Angeal did. The girls intercepted him (which sounded very much like something Hojo would hire someone to do, so that made some sense at least), and Hojo didn't seem to want to talk to them at first, but then he said he remembered 'you all, now'. Then he called Cloud by name.

That… actually didn't bode well. Any SOLDIER – any _person_ – who Hojo remembered… Sephiroth was beginning to think that Cloud's past wasn't as bright as he seemed to act at times.

Then the former scientist said that 'sometimes, you just have to do this', referring likely to the girls and the beach. And apparently, getting a tan.

What.

Either Hojo had lost his mind, he was setting something up, or this game had missed its mark with him.

He wanted to think it was the latter. He couldn't help but think the former seemed more likely.

Cloud asked what Hojo was after, demanding answers. To Sephiroth's surprise, the man acquiesced and said they were both after the same thing: Game Sephiroth.

Then he stood up, still in his lab coat and cackling.

More support for the 'Hojo finally lost his mind' theory.

Then he asked if Cloud felt as if something were calling him. Cloud replied that 'he'd go anywhere Sephiroth is at to put an end to this'.

Hojo just laughed some more and said this could be interesting.

That made Sephiroth's stomach twist a little. He knew what it was like to be interesting to Hojo.

Then he asked if Cloud would like to be his guinea pig. Cloud backed away as if horrified. Smart man. Then Hojo asked if Cloud would draw his sword. His wording seemed so nonchalant, but knowing the scientist...

Then Hojo acknowledged Aeris and mentioned her biological mother's name: Ifalna. The name sounded familiar, so it must have been mentioned before, but Sephiroth couldn't place when or where. This game was driving him to distractions in a way he'd not experienced before. That thought made him very uneasy and he made a mental note to examine it later. Then Hojo asked after the woman. Aeris informed him of her death. The hack of a scientist laughed.

Sephiroth was very close to done with this. (He wasn't even sure if 'this' meant the game, the current circumstances in general, or Hojo and SOLDIER…)

Then Aeris asked if Sephiroth and Jenova were Ancients as well.

The scientist didn't answer her. He simply mumbled a little, laid back down in his chair and, like the man silver-haired General knew, refused to answer any more.

"He only answered them because it suited him," Sephiroth muttered.

He felt a hand on his arm and looked over to meet Angeal's worried eyes. He took a deep breath and forced the tension he hadn't recognized until just then in his shoulders out.

"I'm fine," he said.

Angeal didn't look convinced, but he did nod.

" _There is no hate, only joy, For you are beloved by the Goddess_ , _"_ Genesis said. It really was amazing how many times he could fit the same line into different situations.

Sephiroth sent him a grateful, if small, smile as Angeal led Cloud away from the mad scientist.

AVALANCHE rested up at a local inn (for an outrageous price, of course) and then set off again. Sephiroth wasn't quite sure where, as they hadn't really been given any clues as to where Game Sephiroth was going, but there weren't many places to go anyway so game insanity would likely lead them on.

After a couple of battles, they found a mountain road and followed that, running into more battles of course. Then they came across another little trail and a man sitting by the side of the road talking about a man in a black cape.

Of course.

The trail led them to another reactor.

"It must be the Corel reactor," Angeal commented as he ran Cloud down the path. "Should we go inside?"

"Our intrepid hero hasn't had the best history with reactors," Genesis muttered dryly.

"True," Angeal said. The game didn't force them to stop, so they didn't, bypassing the reactor completely. With Barrett in their group, that seemed a little… too easy, but Sephiroth wasn't going to complain.

The next several minutes dealt with Angeal figuring out some puzzles on the Corel road while Sephiroth and Genesis watched on in annoyed silence.

Then, not a moment too soon in Sephiroth's opinion, they got to Corel.

Or, what was left of it.

"What happened?" Angeal asked.

"Why do they have Corel in a mountainous area? Isn't it down near the desert?" Genesis mused. He had a point.

"Perhaps something happened to the town and they had to move it?" the brunet postulated.

"Like what? A stamped of chocobos?" Genesis groused.

Angeal shrugged. "Monsters are one possibility. Or a fire, flood, horrific sandstorm-"

Then one of the townsfolk punched Barrett, cutting the larger SOLDIER off.

"What?" Angeal burst out angrily.

"They obviously know him," Genesis said, but he was frowning. Sephiroth realized his own lips had twitched downward. Was he feeling… sympathetic towards this terrorist?

"Never thought they'd see him again?" the red-head snorted as he repeated what he read on the screen. "He destroys everything he touches? Somehow I can't help but think that's rather an over exaggeration. Did they kick him out of another town somewhere? Was that town ruined as well?"

Sephiroth thought over that for a moment, then decided to voice a point. "Sector Seven was destroyed as a direct cause of his actions."

"That was ShinRa's fault," Genesis snapped back.

"True, but the point still stands," Sephiroth returned calmly.

"I don't care what happened, it can't be all Barrett's fault," Angeal protested. "It certainly wasn't in Midgar, even if he could have chose his actions better."

"Perhaps not," Genesis said grumpily. "It's likely he's just the scapegoat."

Sephiroth spoke quietly, "this wouldn't be the first time we've seen people choose a scapegoat."

Then all Barrett said was: '...I'm sorry…'

"He believes it too," Genesis said, exasperated.

"But… what happened?" Angeal asked as they moved Cloud to go and speak to Barrett. He just confirmed that yes, it was his fault, and then ran off.

What?

Sephiroth found himself asking that far too much because of this game..

The items in the stores sold at a monumentally low price… unsurprisingly. So they stocked up and then went to talk to the people around the town. They slept at the 'inn', if one could call it that, for a similarly low price and restored their HP and MP. They also found out that the Gold Saucer, whatever that was, had been built near there.

"I've heard about plans for a theme park like that," Genesis mused. "But as far as I knew, they don't have the land for it yet. Or the power. It would need to be by a reactor."

"There is a reactor at Corel, according to the game," Angeal pointed out.

"It isn't there now," Sephiroth said.

"True," Angeal conceded.

"Isn't it a little…" Genesis paused as he thought of the right word, then went on with a drawl, " _convenient_ that a town – one fairly well known for continuing to use a method of power that does not depend on mako or ShinRa – gets destroyed and ShinRa buys up nearby land to build something that sounds rather gaudy but would be a tourist draw?"

Silence, then, "You think ShinRa's behind this somehow?" the brunet asked softly.

The red-head just shrugged. "Who else has that kind of money?"

Point.

"We don't even know what it actually is," Angeal protested. "It could simply be a museum, or a place to watch the sunset."

Genesis looked at his friend with a raised eyebrow. "Somehow, I very much doubt it."

Sephiroth and Angeal did too. Angeal was simply playing the devil's advocate. Or ShinRa's advocate. Funny how that fit so well.

"And it looks like we're supposed to head that way anyway," The red-head continued with a slow wave of his hand.

Angeal sighed and continued onto the Gold Saucer – or the entrance at least. Once there, the characters asked Barrett what happened. He explained that his home town used to be 'around here' (so it wasn't Corel? Although Genesis did have a point that the town of 'Corel' should have been at a lower elevation than right outside the path into the mountains) and that it somehow got 'buried'. Well, that was ominous. Not as ominous as some other things they'd come across, but that wasn't exactly a low bar.

Barrett reiterated that it was all his fault, and the game went into a flashback. (At least, that's what Sephiroth assumed it was as the scene had changed drastically.)

Words across the screen – Barrett's presumably – confirmed that Corel was his hometown. A coal-mining town… which might be something ShinRa would want to get rid of if they wanted the world on Mako energy… more evidence for Genesis' rather dark theory. The town had been dusty and poor, but calm, according to the game. Then they were approached to have a Mako Reactor. Apparently the town agreed except for one person: Dyne. Whoever that was.

Sephiroth was a little surprised it hadn't been Barrett.

This Dyne was a traditionalist who didn't want to throw the town's history away. Sephiroth supposed he could understand that. Even Scarlett didn't seem to have a sway on the guy. Sephiroth had noted that she tended to be able to sway a lot of men… Apparently, Barrett was the one who convinced Dyne that a Mako Reactor was a good idea and got him to change his opinion, although it looked like more than one person supported Barrett's view.

So a reactor was built.

And the town burned. While Barrett and Dyne were away, nonetheless.

There were an awful lot of burning towns in this story.

(Sephiroth tried not to wince at the thought and managed to only twitch a little.)

This time, it seemed that ShinRa troops burned the town. Sephiroth almost wished Angeal had been right about a natural disaster. The train of thought didn't make Sephiroth feel any better.

Barrett explained that there had been an explosion at the reactor, and ShinRa blamed the town.

"As I said," Genesis muttered darkly, "convenient. The town that would have used the power is suddenly gone and up goes whatever this Gold Saucer is…" Although Sephiroth could tell he already believed it was a theme park due to these 'rumors' he'd heard. It wasn't inconceivable.

Sephiroth and Angeal exchanged glances. Angeal had his 'serious face' on, the one he tended to wear when in front of the troops or on the clock. He didn't like the implications anymore than Sephiroth did. Or Genesis for that matter.

In the game, Tifa pointed out that everyone had fallen for ShinRa's promises 'back then'. The 'and lies' she didn't say at the end of the sentence still echoed silently through their minds.

Before they could go any further, Genesis' phone received the notification that their delivery was on it's way and someone had to go down to pick it up. Sephiroth volunteered. He could use the break. They had been playing for almost eight hours straight at this point.

He felt his chest ease a bit when he exited the room and strode towards the elevators. He really had enjoyed doing this with Genesis and Angeal… or he would have if it had been any other 'game'. As of right now, though, they couldn't explain this impossible 'gift/curse' they'd received. Where had it come from? Who had sent it to him? What exactly was at play here? Was this just someone putting two and two together to get five, or was this something else? Something that _couldn't_ be explained away by science.

He made it down to the lobby and picked up the order from the star-struck deliverer, signed a receipt (and an autograph, because the man – a blond in sunglasses – asked politely) and made his way back to his apartment. When he got there, he found Genesis and Angeal had reached the Gold Saucer… which was a theme park.

Did Genesis hate being right in these kinds of situations like Sephiroth did? The smug smile wouldn't suggest so.

"Angeal and I have come to the conclusion that Barrett's town burning was not his fault, or at least not his alone," Genesis informed him. "Everyone else voted for the ShinRa reactor. Unless there's something we don't know, it isn't his fault."

"He was just the loudest," Angeal added on quietly.

"And thus the scapegoat," Genesis finished.

Sephiroth nodded in agreement as he walked over and set the food down on the table. He began to hand it out.

"Have you ever had Wutain take-out before?" Angeal asked as he put the controller he'd been handling down so he could take his food.

"No," Sephiroth said. "But I have had Wutain food." When one had a campaign in Wutai, it was difficult to avoid.

"This has a similar flavor, but an Eastern twist to it," Genesis informed him as he broke his cheap chopsticks in two and opened his box. "Quite good."

Sephiroth opened his box to see noodles and two dishes smothered in sauce. He tasted one, paused for a moment and decided it was acceptable. The second dish had a tang to it that he quite enjoyed and he decided he liked that one.

"He likes it!" Angeal said with a grin.

"Oh, excellent. Let us sell this to the tabloids," Genesis said sarcastically. "I'm sure they'd love to know what their great Silver General enjoys eating."

Sephiroth frowned at him. "You wouldn't."

The Commander grinned savagely at him. "No, I wouldn't. I'll just hold it for blackmail."

"I could give your order to Red Leather."

The red-head's eyes widened. "You savage!" he said dramatically.

Sephiroth smirked and put more food in his mouth, keeping his gaze on Genesis.

"So, we can all agree that we all have an equal amount of blackmail on the other," Angeal interrupted, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, very well," Genesis said and went back to eating.

Meanwhile, Angeal set his food down and got the controller again. He picked the option that popped up moving the group onto the car that would take them to the Gold Saucer. As Cloud walked onto the transport, Barrett spoke of how Dyne had been his best friend since they were children before he entered the car.

Tifa said she'd never known anything they'd just learned because Barrett hadn't ever said anything. Neither Aeris or Red XIII had anything to say about that, although Yuffie had to comment about how she didn't sympathize and he got what he deserved for trusting ShinRa.

"What an utter brat," Genesis muttered.

Sephiroth didn't say anything, but wondered if Genesis realized he was being a bit of a hypocrite there…

She ran on, then everyone else got on as well and the propellers on the car started. Strange. Didn't they simply move the car along the cables? Sephiroth had never heard of such devices. They seemed a little… redundant in his opinion. Though it could be for show, due to the theme park? It was still ridiculous though.

The next scene showed the transport (now turned around… what?) as it approached an enormous structure practically outlined in lights and spouting some of the most annoying music he'd ever heard.

He really hoped that wasn't the theme for this entire part of the game.

"If that doesn't have ShinRa written all over it, nothing does," Genesis said dryly as the car passed the structure by.

Sephiroth repressed a sigh as he'd come to the same conclusion. Angeal didn't say anything, but the fact that he still looked so serious said quite a bit about his current mind-set.

The vehicle came to stop after coming through the mouth of a very large, round, pink… animal? It kind of looked like the legendary moogles did, but, not quite. Either way, it didn't strike Sephiroth as something tasteful.

Of course, the woman at the door into the actual park said they could buy a day pass for 3,000 gil or a lifetime pass for 30,000 gil.

They chose the day pass.

Oh, and apparently they had to earn 'GP' to buy things inside the attraction instead of gil. That didn't sound like a particularly lucrative way to make money. More game insanity? The room they entered next had several openings all around, each leading to a different area, Sephiroth supposed, looking at the lettering on the floor in front of each hole.

"That looks completely ridiculous and inefficient," Genesis scoffed. He didn't get any disagreements.

Aeris walked up to Barrett and encouraged him to cheer up. Naturally, Barrett didn't respond well to that. He wasn't violent, but he did tell everyone to leave him alone. Aeris, unlike her usual self, just said that was too bad before turning and running to Cloud, grabbing his arm and telling him that they should go. Tifa ran after her and called her out on the harshness of her words. Sephiroth hadn't thought they'd sounded harsh so much as uncaring. Then again, he didn't have the best basis to judge that from. Aeris said to just act normal. Tifa didn't seem so sure, but the flower girl insisted on it, letting Barrett know that they were going to go off on their own.

Barrett seemed to explode a bit after that, telling everyone to go off and play, as if telling them off. Then he reminded them that they were after Game Sephiroth and ran to one of the openings, jumping into it.

Aeris commented on his grumpiness (which Sephiroth thought he was perfectly entitled to in this case, although if he really thought of them being on a mission, he should be more objective as well). Tifa said he seemed to be doing a bit better (what?) and then Angeal had control back. He could choose to go together with someone.

"Who should we go with?" he asked.

"Tifa," Genesis said.

Angeal looked to Sephiroth for his opinion. He shrugged as he didn't particularly care. So Angeal chose Tifa.

They ended up wandering around for a bit, but somehow everything seemed closed or blocked off.

"What are we even here to do?" Genesis asked. "Aren't they looking for Sephiroth."

"I doubt they will find the game version of me in a place such as this," the Silver General commented dryly.

Angeal snorted as Sephiroth finished his meal and set the empty containers on the table to be thrown away later. Eventually, they ran across a… something. A cat riding a giant moogle? What?

"What is that?" Genesis asked. "A marionette? An animatronic? A costume? A robot?"

"A fortune teller, apparently," Angeal said, sounding about as confused as Sephiroth felt.

Then, much to their surprise, a naming screen came up with the default name of 'Cait Sith'.

"Is he… she… it going to join us?" Genesis asked, gesturing to the screen in surprise.

"Apparently," Sephiroth said with a frown.

They finished that, then Cloud asked if Cait Sith could read only the future.

"How can it read anything at all? What even _is_ it?"

Neither Sephiroth or Angeal answered.

Of course, then it claimed that it could find missing objects and people. So, naturally, they asked him where Game Sephiroth was. He did a funny little dance/march, then handed something to Cloud. A box popped up on screen that suggested Cloud was reading aloud: "Ordinary Luck. It will be an active fortune."

Sephiroth heard Genesis snort and Angeal's head moved as if he'd just rolled his eyes. The Silver General himself didn't bother acknowledging the ridiculousness with a response.

Cloud continued to read. "Give into the good will of others, and something big'll happen after the summer. Wait… hold on…"

Cait Sith asked for another try.

"Can't we just leave him?" Genesis asked, sounding annoyed. Sephiroth agreed.

"No," Angeal said, put out.

Cait Sith did another little dance/march and then handed something over to Cloud again.

"Be careful of forgetfulness. Your lucky color is… blue." The blond seemed to get fed up at that point.

'Forget it,' he said.

Then the cat… moogle… thing asked for one more chance. By this point, all three of the SOLDIERS were far from impressed and just wanted to move on. The game still wouldn't let them.

At least the dance/march thing sped up this time around.

Cloud took the paper, then exclaimed in surprise. Tifa asked what it said, so the blond read it aloud.

"What you peruse will be yours, but you will lose something dear."

All of the soldiers' eyebrows rose. "And we're back to ominous," Genesis said. " _My friend, the fates are cruel!"_

He wasn't wrong, although he still wasn't sure if they should trust anything this cat/moogle pair gave them.

Cait Sith at least acknowledged that it was a strange, unhappy fortune. And also the first time he'd ever gotten anything like that to give to someone. Then he said that he had to join them until he could give them a proper fortune.

Genesis snorted. "Whatever he is, he's a ShinRa spy."

Angeal looked over at him. "You think so?"

The red-head nodded and gestured to the screen. "Something ShinRa definitely has a part in, a group that they've had problems with shows up at a place that is very likely on their path, and he just wants to come along. A bit convenient, isn't it?"

Sephiroth had to admit, he had a point.

Then Cait Sith walked into Cloud, followed by Tifa.

Still more Game Insanity. Was it sad that he was getting used to it?

Angeal brought up the menu to see about equipping the new team and noticed the time. "Have we really been playing this for almost twelve hours now?"

"It's been almost eight today," Genesis said, looking at his watch. "Longer as we had to go back a couple of times."

"Wait," Angeal said, then turned to Sephiroth. "Didn't you stay awake the entire night taking care of Don Corneo?"

Sephiroth nodded.

"You should sleep," the brunet admonished.

The General scowled. "I can stay awake for many more hours."

"Maybe," Genesis scoffed, examining his nails, "but you don't _have_ to. Just go to bed. We'll keep playing this and let you know if something happens."

"It really isn't necessary," Sephiroth insisted. "And this is more important."

"Just a couple of hours," Angeal practically begged.

Sephiroth felt his argument die on his lips. He could stay up, but Genesis was right, he didn't really _have_ to. And as much as he didn't like the idea of leaving his friends to play the game without him, he couldn't deny that a small break sounded very nice about now.

He sighed internally, rising from the couch with a nod. "Very well. Wake me again in three hours or if something comes up that I need to see."

The other two nodded, watching as Sephiroth walked down the small hall and into his room where he leaned momentarily against the door once it closed. Why did this seem so… emotional for him? This couldn't be predicting the future. That sounded, in no way scientific at all. It was illogical and unthinkable and yet…

He only let himself stand like that for a minute, gathering himself, before he turned towards his small bathroom where he took a fast shower and then went to bed, thankful that his training allowed him to bypass the usual mulling that so many of his men complained about before sleep. It only took him about two minutes to fall asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Sorry this took so long to get up. There was a death in the family and I wasn't up for it. Doing better now, though.
> 
> Note, I have posted some links to original fiction and screenplays in my discord if you're interested: discord.gg/qNpruuW
> 
> Also thanks to my new beta reader Imagination7413! Seriously, thank you. The chapter is so much better now.


	15. Old Corel, Cosmo Canyon and Nibelheim

Sephiroth woke to a loud banging that jolted him out of bed. Out of reflex, he materialized Masamune only to see a very smug Genesis just outside the now open doorway, ready to dodge out of the way of anything coming his way. The Silver General considered running him through anyway, but eventually took a deep breath and dismissed the sword. Then he glanced at the clock by his bedside. Well past midnight.

"I told you to wake me in three hours."

Genesis shrugged. "Angeal said to let you sleep unless we ran across something important."

That didn't bode well.

"Did you?" Sephiroth asked.

"Come and judge for yourself," the Red Commander said haughtily as he turned and strode down the hall.

He got out to the front room in time to see Angeal glare at Genesis and practically growl at him. "Grow up, for once."

Sephiroth froze. Angeal… never snapped like that. He lectured, he scolded, he had the most condemning disappointed look, but he rarely let his temper get the better of him.

"Is… everything alright?" the silver-haired man asked slowly.

Genesis, sighed. "Sit." Then he turned to Angeal. "Don't take your worry out on me."

Angeal just harrumphed as Sephiroth took his original place on the couch. "What happened?" he asked.

"Well," Genesis said, "you left when we were in the Gold Saucer, correct?"

Sephiroth nodded.

"A man with a gun-arm shot up an area in the Gold Saucer. Then, without a trial – or even a pretense thereof – they tossed Barrett, Cloud and Cait Sith into the 'Corel Prison', which is apparently just below the Gold Saucer and right where the old, burnt-out remains of Corel are."

Genesis shot Sephiroth a meaningful look before going on. "It turns out the man who had done the shooting wasn't Barrett but Dyne, who had started out hating ShinRa and sort of grew to hate everyone."

"He definitely wasn't all there upstairs," Angeal agreed grimly.

The thespian of their group nodded. "He and Barrett had a marvelous showdown, after which he jumped off a cliff."

Sephiroth blinked. "Dyne, I suppose?"

Genesis waved his hand, annoyed. "Of course. Anyway, we discovered that he is Marlene's birth father. Dyne thought she'd died in the fire and that his childhood friend, Barrett, had been killed in the same accident where they both lost their arms. We saw a flashback where they'd been attacked by ShinRa troops and Barrett had grabbed Dyne as he'd fallen off a cliff. Unable to pull his friend back up, Barrett had simply hung on until both of their arms had been shot off." Sephiroth rolled his eyes at his friend's drama, but said nothing as the man continued. "Dyne fell, they both lost their appendage, but unbeknownst to the other, they both survived. Barrett lost his wife in the town burning while Dyne thought he'd lost his wife and newborn daughter, but Barrett managed to save the baby – Marlene. Then, coming back to the present, Dyne declared how he didn't deserve his child and then he seemed to just want to end everything and dived off of the cliff after asking Barrett to keep looking after Marlene."

Angeal huffed. "It was every bit as dramatic as he's portraying," he said, almost deadpan.

Sephiroth felt the corner of his mouth twitch up, but Genesis turned to his friend as if betrayed. " _All that awaits you is a somber morrow, No matter where the wind may blow!_ "

Both Angeal and Sephiroth scoffed at that.

Genesis rolled his eyes and continued on. "In any case, we had to _race chocobos_ to get back up and plead our case."

"That sounds…" Sephiroth faded off, trying to find the right words.

"Completely ridiculous, biased and wrong?" Angeal put in, glowering.

The silver-haired man blinked, then nodded. "Yes."

"You're not the only one who thinks so," Genesis said airily before continuing. "In apology for throwing us in prison without so much as a pleading, the owner of the Gold Saucer, a man named Dio—"

"Who dresses in a leopard-skin swimsuit…" Angeal cut in.

Sephiroth blinked. What? What kind of people did this game think owned businesses?

Genesis went on as if Angeal hadn't spoken, "Gave us a buggy we can use to cross the desert. A ridiculous, gaudy thing that looks like a child's toy if one is generous."

"We have to ride in it to continue on. The desert is very easy to get lost in, apparently," the brunet added, sounding frustrated. Perhaps it was time to take the controller away from him.

"Then we went to Gongoga," Genesis said.

Sephiroth blinked again. "Isn't your student from there?" he asked Angeal.

Angeal nodded, looking grim.

"There we found the Turks, again, and discovered that Rude has a crush on Tifa, Elena has a crush on Tseng and Tseng likes Aeris."

"Which really isn't relevant to the story," Angeal pointed out, huffing a little. Besides, it was difficult to imagine Tseng of the Turks having feelings towards anyone.

"It was amusing, though," Genesis said.

Angeal just shook his head, allowing the red-head to continue.

"Well, we ended up fighting Reno and Rude again, then went to Gongaga."

"The reactor there?" Sephiroth asked, frowning.

"No," Angeal put it. "This game says it exploded."

Sephiroth paused, blinking. "Really?"

The other two nodded. "We went through the ruins," Angeal said, sounding angry, likely on Zack's behalf.

"We fought some utterly ridiculous monsters that I've never heard of before," Genesis went on. "Then Scarlett came in to get some materia that had supposedly been left there once it exploded, but didn't find it."

"What kind of materia?" Sephiroth asked, confused.

"They called it 'huge materia', but I've never heard of such before," Genesis said.

"Is such a thing even possible?" Sephiroth wondered.

Genesis, their resident materia specialist, rubbed his chin. "Theoretically, I suppose, but it would have to be a very dense materia and extremely high pressure and heat for an extended period of time. It would have to be unfiltered mako too – too dangerous to work with inside the company, which is part of the reason why natural materia is almost impossible to artificially produce. That, and it would be more expensive to store and acquire the kind of equipment necessary for such." Ah, the money angle. The President never cared for the safety of his 'underlings', but he had cared for the money such storage and usage would cost. Why wasn't he surprised?

At least it was fairly obvious as to why it would supposedly explode… they'd need to double check that, too.

"In any case," Genesis went on, "since Hojo quit, Scarlett had been getting more funds and was building a secret 'ultimate weapon', although we don't know exactly what that weapon is.

"We also got our first mention of another SOLDIER besides yourself," Genesis said with a careful look at Angeal, who didn't acknowledge him as he played. "We met Zack's parents. This game supposedly happens ten years after he left to go to ShinRa."

"He came here at fourteen," Sephiroth said slowly, also watching Angeal carefully.

"Thirteen," Genesis said. "He came in about a month and a half before he turned fourteen, so he must have left home at the age of thirteen."

"He's sixteen now, correct?"

"Almost sixteen," Angeal practically grunted. Sephiroth hadn't realized the boy was so young. He must be one of those who grows physically quickly.

"So… this game supposedly happens in 8 years?" Sephiroth confirmed slowly.

"Yes. And Nibelheim burns in three or four years, supposedly," Genesis said. "In that time, Angeal and I disappear completely – at least, we aren't mentioned at all, and currently thirteen-year-old Cloud Strife becomes a SOLDIER first class."

Sephiroth shook his head. "This doesn't match up. Ignoring the implausibility of it all, there are too many holes and contradictions."

Genesis shrugged. "Then I suppose we don't have to worry about it coming true."

The two men blinked and stared at each other for several seconds before Sephiroth's shoulders relaxed a little. "True."

And yet…

"In any case, Aeris acted very strangely and wouldn't talk about Zack. Tifa seemed to have the same or a similar problem. I think they both know Cloud's story doesn't add up, and I think they've both met Zack."

Angeal grunted in agreement.

"We also got that Zack disappeared five years before the beginning of the story from Aeris when we spoke with her later." He shot a look towards Angeal.

Ah, so that was why Angeal seemed so upset. Even now, Sephiroth could see his hands gripping the controller a little harder than normal. Perhaps it was time to move on. Or should he suggest Angeal call his protege? From the looks of it, Angeal didn't want any sort of advice right now, so Sephiroth decided to stay quiet.

Genesis decided something similar as he simply continued. "We began to run into 'Touch-me's' around there."

Sephiroth blinked. He'd never been to Gongoga – or that part of the world at all. The closest he'd been was the Shinra Rocket build. "The frogs that can turn other living animals into frogs?"

Angeal and Genesis nodded, both looking annoyed.

"Then we got to Cosmo Canyon." The red-head's negativity evaporated as he watched for Sephiroth's response to that.

The Silver General could only blink. "Cosmo… Canyon." He'd heard it was a back-water place where people who don't like ShinRa tend to congregate. They claimed to be peaceful people who study the planet, and indeed they must be if they were still around even now. As far as Sephiroth knew, ShinRa mostly stayed away from there, so they must not see the area as a threat. It wasn't rich in mako, so they left it alone.

"The buggy broke down," Angeal muttered, bringing Sephiroth out of his thoughts.

"In any case, that's where Red XIII is actually from," Genesis said breezily. "We also got his true name: Nanaki. He belongs to an old race of beings, and he seems to be the last of – or one of the last of – his kind. He idolized his mother and hated his father, calling him a coward. But we find out that his father died in defense of the settlement when Red was younger."

Sephiroth frowned. "Defended the settlement from what?"

He suspected ShinRa, but then the company would have gone back to finish the job.

"The 'Gi', apparently," Angeal said.

Sephiroth blinked. "The… Gi? What are the Gi?"

"Ghosts," Genesis replied with a scoff. "At least the ones we fought were. I don't know exactly what they were otherwise. A warring clan, I suppose. At least that's what Nanaki's grandfather said."

"His grandfather still lives?" Sephiroth asked.

"We're pretty sure he's not blood related as he looked like an old man," Angeal said, finally starting to sound a little more like his usual self. Maybe all of this talking actually did him some good?

"On a floating, green contraption of undefinable make," Genesis replied dryly. "It looked like a giant, green materia, but it can't be that. Who would use something so priceless for something like floating around?"

Sephiroth was beginning to think he'd missed something…

At this point he'd just have to chalk it up to 'Game Insanity' and move on.

Genesis seemed to agree as he continued summarizing. "His grandfather also has an observatory and a projection room of some kind, although it looked rather rudimentary, the results were… impressive. He had a projection of our solar system… although it couldn't be to scale and there also looked to be what I assume was a black hole nearby, which must be ridiculous because the effects it would have are… not worth considering.

"In any case, he explained about the lifestream and the theory that anything living has a soul. When they die, that soul returns to the lifestream, enriching it. However, he took it a step further than I've heard before, saying that the lifestream is the _source_ of all life on the planet. He also claimed that the 'life energy' is what allows planets to form in the first place. Or, planets capable of sustaining life, I suppose, but when he showed a planet teaming with the energy, then took that energy away, it fell apart."

Sephiroth shook his head. He supposed he could understand the lifestream being the result of life, maybe even a source of life, but of planets too? That seemed to take it a bit far.

The red-head went on. "In any case, he also claimed that when the lifestream is artificially extracted, it cannot fulfill it's true purpose. That by using it as the mako reactors do, it is going to waste."

"That sounds like terrorist propaganda," Sephiroth pointed out.

"Well, Barrett claimed that AVALANCHE was born in Cosmo Canyon," Genesis replied.

"Is it propaganda?"

The question seemed to freeze the room as a heavy silence fell over them.

That question had come from Angeal.

"What?" Sephiroth heard himself say.

"That doesn't sound like someone who has pride in their honor as a SOLDIER," Genesis said slowly, carefully.

Angeal sighed. "This game has… many things wrong with it. But it does highlight one very important thing: Our current government is a business created to make the man who owns it more wealthy. Name one recent law that has been passed that benefits the general populace and not someone or some group related to the upper echelons of ShinRa."

Sephiroth thought back. He couldn't come up with anything. Apparently, neither could Genesis because he took a different route of defense.

"Of course a government would benefit itself," Genesis said, although he didn't sound as sure or nonchalant as he usually did.

"No," Angeal replied, turning his dark gaze on them, eyes burning. "A government is supposed to benefit the people as best it can, if only because without the support of the people, the government will fall."

This… had gone well past the line they'd been flirting with between safe ideals and far more dangerous ones. Sephiroth felt his chest squeeze a little and had to take a deep breath. He wasn't worried. Or scared. He didn't get scared, so it couldn't be that.

"There is scientific proof to support what ShinRa is doing right now. There is no way to prove what Bugenhagen said," Genesis pointed out.

'Bugenhagen?' That was the name of the old man? What a name. The thought skittered over the top of Sephiroth's mind for a moment before he banished it and focused on the task at hand – namely, keeping Angeal from doing something stupid. Normally he was the rock everyone could rely on – the heart of SOLDIER, as he'd heard several of his subordinates say. Sephiroth was the face of SOLDIER, Angeal was the heart and Genesis the inspiration – at least to think outside the box and not only focus on the physical. Hearing Angeal question the company like this was… disconcerting.

"Books that were printed by ShinRa in the first place?" Angeal asked, face returning to stare at the screen and expression set in stone.

"This is starting to sound like a conspiracy theory…" Genesis commented, brow furrowed as he looked at his friend as if he'd never seen him before.

"That doesn't make it implausible," Angeal replied. And… he had a point. Then he turned, staring at his two friends determinedly. "So who are we supposed to believe? A man who has paid everyone to have the same opinion as him, or the fanatics who adamantly refuse to fall in line? Are either one correct?"

Well… when he put it like that…

The silence returned, thick and oppressive until their resident thespian cut it with a clearing of his throat. "Perhaps that is a discussion for… later. In any case, Red decides to come with the party when they leave, wanting to help save the planet.

"We moved on and came to Nibelheim."

Sephiroth frowned and felt his hands curl into fists. "Why didn't you wake me for that?" he asked quietly.

Genesis and Angeal exchanged a glance. "Mainly we were worried," Angeal said calmly, apparently having taken his friend's blatant change of topic to heart. His solid, assuring voice had returned, and it went a long way towards helping Sephiroth feel less… lost. He hadn't realized how much he'd come to depend on his friend... "We wanted to get through Nibelheim, just in case there were some nasty memories that came up."

The Silver General glared at the other two. "I can handle it."

"But you didn't _have_ to," Angeal returned, voice just as firm. "And if something dire had come up, we would have woken you," he assured, voice softer.

Sephiroth unclenched his fists and nodded, still feeling a little tired. "Very well. What happened there?"

The two of them exchanging glances again did nothing to reassure him.

"Another ShinRa coverup," Genesis said, his own voice unusually subdued. "The town was back. Rebuilt. They claimed they'd been there for decades."

"Their memories could have simply been faulty," Sephiroth pointed out, frowning.

"Perhaps," the red-head conceded with a nod. "But I doubt it. Unless their entire lives are lies. The village people didn't remember them and they didn't recognize the village people. You know the policy, Sephiroth."

Erase any evidence of corruption. More like scrape it off the surface and hope it doesn't grow back. Hmm, maybe Sephiroth had been around Genesis too long if he was starting to come up with metaphors like that.

"The first thing of note that we did," the red-head explained, "(besides question the villagers) was go to the ShinRa mansion and add another member to our party: one Vincent Valentine, as you may remember from the instructions given to us by our very own flower girl."

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow in question and Genesis went on.

"We don't know much about him, except that he used to be a Turk-"

"Don't ask, we don't know how that fits in." Angeal interjected.

Genesis picked right back up where he'd left off. "—And that he was an experiment of Hojo's, locked away in the same basement we saw… your game equivalent studying in."

"A room off to the side of the cave outside," Angeal supplied.

So not even the turks were safe from Hojo? Sephiroth couldn't help the grim thought that stole through his mind.

"He seemed to know about you, despite the fact that we found him locked in a coffin," the red-head informed him.

Wait. What?

"A coffin… for how long?"

Genesis shrugged dramatically.

"He insinuated that it has been… a while," Angeal said.

The silver-haired man blinked. "How did he survive?"

The brunet snorted. "Genesis thinks he's a vampire."

"It makes sense," the red-head defended.

Angeal snorted in amusement and even Sephiroth found himself repressing a smile. But then the other two seemed to remember something and turned back to their commanding officer.

"He knew about you and seemed… particularly interested in you… or in Game Sephiroth, I suppose," the red-head said thoughtfully. "We're sure there is something to that, but we aren't exactly sure what. I will say, he does remind us of you: Quiet, confident, keeps things close to the chest, even if he does seem to prefer using a gun."

"He has a frustrating overdrive," Angeal grumbled. "He transforms into a beast that we can't control."

"Really?" Sephiroth asked, turning to observe the battle the party was currently in. Sephiroth had seen a red-cloaked man wield a gun and assumed that was this 'Vincent'. As they'd been talking, a large beast reminiscent of a behemoth had taken the man's place.

The Silver General blinked, then turned his head to stare at his friends, incredulous. If he hadn't seen proof of this game's veracity himself, he wouldn't believe them. He still found it difficult to believe. How could anything so… _ludicrous_ be the truth?

"And there was one other thing. Some of the village people were… odd," Genesis said, a frown of his own on his face.

The brunet nodded and backed his friend up. "Many of them wore dark cloaks and moved oddly. When speaking to them, what we got most often was the word 'Reunion'."

That word _sparked_ something inside of Sephiroth. It was barely a twinge, but it was there. Only for a moment, he sensed something deep in his chest. He blinked and it took all of his willpower to not lay a hand over the spot and rub at it.

"Sephiroth?" Angeal asked, turning to him in worry.

Whatever it was, he couldn't feel it anymore. It must have been a coincidence.

He shook his head. "It's nothing. Please, continue."

Instead of responding, the other two sat in more silence for several seconds before he decided he needed to know whatever they weren't broaching.

"What aren't you telling me?" he asked firmly.

More exchanged glances. He was getting rather tired of those.

"Vincent said your mother's name is 'Lucretia'."

Sephiroth felt his eyes go wide. That was the real reason they'd decided to wake him, he knew it.

"Lucretia…" he repeated. "No last name?"

The other two shook their heads. Sephiroth nodded, trying to wrap his mind around that. There was another person involved in all of this? Somehow, this game's story just seemed to get more and more confusing.

"Also," Angeal said, speaking carefully, as if he were stepping around landmines, "the cloaked people did seem to have other things to say. They spoke about how Game Sephiroth would lead them, how they waited for him and... how they looked up to him. We found their fanaticism rather… disturbing."

Sephiroth frowned. "I told you I can handle it."

Angeal snorted. "You can. But can we?" he shuddered. "There was something very _wrong_ with them, Sephiroth. And they all had tattoos of numbers."

"Like the sick man from Midgar?" Sephiroth asked.

"Yes," Genesis said shortly. "We also ran into Game Sephiroth."

The General felt his jaw clench for a moment before he got a hold of himself. "And?"

"He asked Cloud if he would participate in the Reunion." There was that strange feeling again. Sephiroth ignored it.

"What was his response?"

Genesis shrugged. "That he didn't know what Reunion was." That word did trigger something as Sephiroth felt it _again._ He didn't like it. "After which Game Sephiroth said that Jenova would join the Reunion and become the Calamity from the Skies. He basically confirmed that she wasn't actually an Ancient, then told Cloud if he wished to know, to follow him North. Then he threw more materia at Cloud and flew away.

"That's when we decided to come and wake you."

More silence. Then Genesis broke it again.

"In any case, Angeal has been trying to get past Mount Nibel since then so we could wake you before we go to our next destination."

"Which is?" Sephiroth asked.

"We're not sure. Wutai, perhaps?"

"Not the Nibelheim reactor?"

Angeal scoffed. "I've already passed it. The dragons here are beyond frustrating."

"Are you under the mountain right now?" Sephiorth asked, eyebrows rising slightly. It looked like ShinRa had had their way with said mountain as it had all sorts of walkways and ladders and collecting tubes and mako…

"And what is _that_ ," he said, pointing to what looked like a cross between a dragon and a scorpion without the tail.

"I have no idea," Angeal said, "but I'm pretty sure it's guarding our way out. If I could just find my way _there…_ I'm missing something."

And so he wandered around some more… and then again… and then again. By the time they _finally_ found their way to the monster, they had over 60,000 gil, and several levels on the characters so perhaps not such a bad way to spend their time, no matter how frustrating it got. Although, Sephiroth had to wonder how they got food and other supplies if they didn't spend their gil on anything but weapons and items.

Angeal had warmed up considerably since Sephiroth had come out, but he still didn't seem to be handling his own revelations too well judging by how he was handling the fights. Not that the silver-haired man could blame him. The brunet was obviously still upset about the game Zack. The kid may be a puppy, but Angeal could be a mama chocobo at times. They fit.

The fight against the scorpion thing wasn't difficult, and almost 45 minutes after they woke Sephiroth, just after one in the morning, they finally made it out of Mt. Nibel.

Sephiroth couldn't help but be relieved. The further they could get from Nibelheim, the better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Thanks again to Imagination7413 for her help in beta reading!
> 
> Discord for discussion: discord.gg/wsuSnFb 


	16. Rocket Town and Wutai pt 1

After another couple of minutes of wandering around, they found a settlement with houses and another strange shape behind them.

"What is that?" Genesis asked.

Angeal glanced up at the little map in the corner. "It's… about in the area where they're making camp to build the rocket. There was already a small, nameless settlement there that ShinRa bought for it, so maybe it's that?"

"Perhaps," the red-head said.

"That does kind of look like a very small rocket," Angeal said.

"Before we move on," Sephiroth cut in and the other two looked over at him, "how long has Angeal been playing."

"Since before you went to bed," Genesis said.

The Silver General raised one eyebrow. "Perhaps it is time you go to sleep then."

Angeal frowned. "I'm fine."

"You're upset and emotionally compromised, just as I was. You may use my room. There are spare blankets at the bottom. Genesis may take a turn as well, if he feels he needs to after you."

The brunet opened his mouth to protest, but Genesis spoke one word.

"Angeal."

The largest SOLDIER there blinked at his friend, then seemed to deflate. "You're right." Then he turned to Sephiroth. "Thank you. I'll set an alarm for two hours from now."

Sephiroth nodded.

"Besides, the puppy's fine," Genesis said. "Now go. You can text him in the morning when he'll be awake to answer you."

Angeal took out his phs, looked down at it and frowned. "My phs died. I must have forgotten to charge it."

Well, it was out of their normal schedule, so some things would have likely flown under the radar.

"I have a charger in there as well," Sephiroth said. "And it is almost one. We'll wake you up at three or when something you need to hear happens."

The brunet sighed, rubbed a hand through his hair and nodded again. "Right. Thank you again."

"Do not mention it," Sephiroth said nonchalantly then watched as Angeal trudged into his room. Once the door closed, he turned to Genesis.

"Is he that worried about his student?"

The red-head, who had picked up the controller frowned. "What the game has implied has a rather nasty connotation. Especially with ShinRa involved. We are already worried about the secrets it has spilled and things it knows that no one should…"

True. But… this couldn't _actually_ be telling the future. Could it? That really was just ridiculous.

Still…

"We will have to do some more research tomorrow," Sephiroth said softly. He didn't want to see Angeal or Genesis disappear… or whatever fate awaited his friend's student either. Or him. He really didn't want what the game said about him to come true.

"Indeed," the red-head said as he moved Cloud into the settlement.

The screen faded out and into a very rural-looking town as Cloud asked what 'that' was. The screen panned up to…

"It _is_ the Rocket encampment," Genesis said with a nod. "Although, what happened so the rocket tipped like that?"

"I suppose we'll find out," Sephiroth said dryly, arms folded in front of him.

"That doesn't look like a camp," the Commander said slowly.

"No, it doesn't," came the agreement.

They found a weapon's shop where they bought some gold armlets and then an inn where they paid for a room. And slept. And came out without anything changing, including the time of day.

Game insanity.

They spoke with several people, and found out that this was _Rocket Town_ now. So it had become a full-fledged town in this supposed future? Not unthinkable.

One old man explained that the town used to be a base from where they launched rockets.

"That rocket would destroy the town at that distance," Sephiroth pointed out. Genesis just snorted, then agreed to look at the rocket with the old man.

"I wanted another look," he said when he noticed his General's unimpressed stare.

Sephiroth rolled his eyes, but then the man gave them something called a 'Yoshiyuki'. The Snow of Good Luck? Hmm. Apparently that paid off. Genesis just smirked.

Then they found the item's shop and bought a barrier and an exit materia as well as more of the actual items sold there. Going into a couple of other houses (and why were they allowed to do that again), they found one that had a drill arm for Barrett (how many people have gun arms in this game?) and a little, red plane in back called 'the Tiny Bronco'.

Aeris, whom they had in their party, urged Cloud to take it. What?

"She… is not the innocent face she presents," Genesis said with an amused snort.

Sephiroth nodded in agreement.

Then a woman named Shera walked out of the house and asked who they were. While conversing with her, they found out that Rufus was supposed to come and inspect something that day. They decided to look for this 'Captain' that they'd heard so much about from the people around town.

"He'll likely be at the rocket," Sephiroth pointed out.

"Very well," Genesis said as he had Cloud rush off towards said rocket.

A couple of seconds later found them climbing a ladder to the highest point of the Rocket. "It doesn't look like it is leaning from here," Sephiroth pointed out.

"I agree. Definitely a flaw in the game," Genesis said.

Inside the Rocket, they found the Captain – one Cid Highwind.

"I've heard of Cid Highwind. He's definitely in the Space and Aeronautics division, but he isn't the captain," Sephiroth said slowly.

"Yet," Genesis pointed out.

Sephiroth conceded the point with a nod.

"We were able to name him…" The Silver General said thoughtfully as Cloud conversed with the avatar. "Every other person we've met who has done that has joined Cloud on the quest. Do you think he will be coming?"

Genesis frowned. "I don't see why he would."

Cid asked what they wanted and a series of questions popped up. Genesis picked the bottom one first, asking if they could borrow the Tiny Bronco. Cid's friendly demeanor dropped immediately as he told them off in signs and symbols that they couldn't take his most cherished possession. Then he turned around.

Sephiroth and Genesis glanced at each other, but they'd seen this a couple of times. So Cloud spoke to Cid again and the same questions popped up. He asked about Rufus and Cid said the President wanted to restart the space program.

"Restart it? Why was it shut down?" the Commander asked.

When they asked about the rocket, he seemed instantly much happier. He spoke about 'the meaningless war', how ShinRa used to be a weapons manufacturer, how they completed a rocket to go into space and how they chose the self proclaimed 'best pilot in the world' to fly it.

"Modest, isn't he," Genesis said wryly.

Sephiroth didn't say anything.

Apparently because of Shera, the launch didn't go right and ShinRa stopped funding the program.

"I wonder what she did," the red-head said thoughtfully.

Then Cid went on a rant about how all ShinRa cared about was money.

"It must be nice, to be far enough away from ShinRa that you can bad-mouth them multiple times in a single conversation and not fear any repercussions," Genesis' tone had gone from wry to dry.

"He isn't wrong," Sephiroth pointed out.

"That's what would get him killed here."

"True."

Then he spoke about how his last hope was to talk to the president. Somehow, Sephiroth didn't hold high hopes for the man's 'dreams'. Speaking to Cid more only produced the same answers, which probably meant they'd found whatever they needed to find.

"What do we do now?" Genesis asked, sounding a little put out.

"He did mention Shera," Sephiroth said.

The red-head nodded. "Very well, we shall attempt to find her again."

So they went back to what Sephiroth assumed was her house. She found them as soon as they stepped through the door and asked if the Captain had said anything. Cloud said 'no'… although Sephiroth had no idea why.

Then Cid walked in and started swearing at her.

"I don't believe I like this man," Sephiroth said, a little darkly. Especially when she just reacted by saying how she was sorry. Ruining his dream or not, she did not deserve to be treated like that. Then the Captain told them to drink their tea, very rudely, and just walked into the back.

"Wait, do they _live_ together?" Genesis asked.

Sephiroth just frowned.

At least Aeris commented on the bad manners.

Then Shera went on to tell them to not get angry at him and that it was her fault.

This was sounding worse and worse. Even Barrett said he was terrible, although Sephiroth didn't see much of a difference in their mannerisms… except for how Barrett treated those close to him. At least he had that going for him… even if he was an Eco-terrorist.

Then Shera told her side of the story. She claimed something was wrong with one of the oxygen tanks, but Cid told her it was fine. He went to launch, but she was still inside… and said she didn't _mind_ losing her life to fix it.

What?!

"That woman needs to grow a backbone," Genesis said.

"I don't think it is that easy," Sephiroth said, his voice quiet. After all, the idea of standing up to Hojo at all still sent his stomach into knots despite knowing that he could easily defeat the man. He didn't think Cid was like Hojo, but he was cruel, even if he didn't seem to derive pleasure from being so.

Hojo would have gone on with the launch.

Cid didn't. To save a life.

So there was that, at least.

And they found out why the rocket had tipped to one side. They were actually kind of lucky it didn't fall over completely, to be honest.

But that's why she wouldn't ever be upset with what he said to her and she'd live her life for him…

"Somehow, I don't think enabling his bad habits is helping him," Genesis' voice had gone back to dry.

Sephiroth nodded in agreement.

Cid came back in, yelled at everyone and sat at the table just as Palmer came in, asking how Cid had been.

"Doesn't he recognize them?" the Silver General asked, shaking his head at either game insanity or Palmer's pathetic memory. The man was a little notorious for it.

Cid asked Palmer when the program would be up again. He didn't know. Cid called him fat and then many symbols to his face.

"The man has guts to say that to a ShinRa executive," Genesis commented, his expression neutral once more. Palmer asked for tea from Shera, with honey and sugar and _lard_ of all things. What? Just after he'd complained about being called 'fat'.

"Bravery or stupidity," Sephiroth commented. Genesis smirked.

"We should probably avoid talking to him and pressing our luck," the red-head commented, slipping out the door behind Palmer's back. It wasn't difficult. If that was how the man ended up, then he'd somehow become even _more_ incompetent… what a terrifying thought.

He'd been a driven leader once, or so Sephiroth heard and read from his file. He wasn't sure he believed it.

They got outside to see Cid yelling at Rufus Shinra.

"The man has a backbone of steel," Genesis said, sounding impressed.

Rufus had come to demand the Tiny Bronco because they were going after Game Sephiroth, but had apparently gone in the wrong direction.

Which, again, made no sense. He couldn't blame them for wanting the plane, though. And they wouldn't want to wait several hours for a helicopter from Junon, or even longer for the airship from Midgar. Although, they had seen Rufus get off the airship at Junon, so perhaps it would still be there?

And apparently Cid accused Rufus of stealing the airship, and the rocket, and now his plane. No wonder he wasn't happy with ShinRa.

As he continued to shout at Rufus, Shera came out and asked Cloud to go back inside. They did… with no Palmer in sight. Apparently he was going to go steal the Tiny Bronco.

"They sent him to steal a plane they supposedly have the rights to, if Rufus is to be believed?" Genesis asked. " _My friend, the fates are cruel! No dreams, no honor remains!"_

Sephiroth scoffed softly.

They went out to the plane to confront the man, who _finally_ seemed to recognize them. And he ended up putting up a far harder fight than he had any right to. They got some good armor off of him, though.

Then Barrett claimed he couldn't stop the plane and they took off. With all three of them in it.

Cid would be thrilled.

Hmm. Perhaps he was picking up on the 'sarcasm' Genesis was so fond of, too.

They flew around, hanging onto the plane's wings and…

" _Who is flying that plane?!"_ Genesis almost yelled. Sephiroth cleared his throat and when his friend looked at him, he gestured down the hall towards his bedroom.

The Commander didn't look too happy, but he did slump back against the couch.

Then Cid somehow ran as fast as the plane and jumped on as it flew by. While being shot at.

"Does that man have SOLDIER strength and reflexes?" Genesis asked, disdain dripping from his tone. At least the plane got hit, so that was somewhat believable. Emphasis on the word 'somewhat'.

They were supposed to make an emergency landing. They landed gently on the ocean.

"If all emergency landings were like that, we wouldn't need good ones," Genesis mused.

Sephiroth nodded.

Really, his streak of agreeing with Genesis felt… surreal. They didn't often agree on much of anything.

The group spoke among themselves for a minute, then said they were going to use the plane as a boat.

A boat.

With their propellers half buried in the water.

This game!

Cid said he'd come with them because he'd given up on ShinRa. Well, that ruled out stupidity at least. They also found out that Shera and he weren't married and likely didn't have a romantic relationship. Sephiroth wasn't sure whether that made the two's actions worse or better.

The pilot did call them all numskulls for trying to go up against ShinRa. He wasn't wrong.

Sephiroth still didn't like the man, but he could appreciate his candor at least.

So now they were looking for the Temple of the Ancients.

Wait… "What?" Sephiroth asked, turning to Genesis. "What is the 'Temple of the Ancients'?"

"Oh, did we not tell you that? Apparently it's where your game equivalent wants to go. We found that out earlier."

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes.

"You know now," Genesis defended.

The Silver General rolled his eyes and turned back to the screen.

It didn't take the red-head long to figure out the mechanics of the plane. They also decided to re-equip everyone, especially Cid, who they needed in their party if they wanted to keep everyone at the same levels (except for Cloud… who they couldn't switch out).

Then they began wandering around, looking for this 'Temple of the Ancients'.

"I'd like to know how everyone else is keeping up with them," Genesis mused. "They can change party members at the drop of a hat."

"Game insanity," Sephiroth said.

Genesis snorted.

This… this was nice. Normally he and the Commander had a rather… rocky relationship. Being here and civil like this… he liked it. A good deal.

Friends indeed.

He still decided to keep that thought to himself. No use in provoking him, after all.

Then his smile vanished as he realized where they were headed.

Wutai.

He glanced over at Genesis who shot him a look too. Apparently he'd realized it as well.

This… should be interesting.

xXx

The southern half of Wutai looked barren. Almost as barren as the area around Midgar. After all of the bombing raids, Sephiroth couldn't say he was surprised, but it wasn't something he took pleasure in seeing the after effects of.

As they slowly made their way north ('slow' being a relative term of course, as it would take far longer than a couple of minutes to traverse the whole of Wutai), Yuffie ran up to them, telling them to wait. Then ShinRa infantry attacked and Yuffie said she had nothing to do with 'this one'.

They fought the infantry, and won. Then Yuffie ran off and…

" _WHERE IS MY MATERIA?!"_ Genesis roared.

Sephiroth actually reached over and grabbed him, nodding again towards the bedroom door. If this was what Angeal had had to try and keep Genesis from doing, it was a wonder he'd gotten any sleep at all.

" _But my materia!"_ he hissed.

The Silver General just glared.

Genesis' lips thinned to a line, but he turned back to the game. "If that little _rat_ stole it, she will regret it."

"Genesis," Sephiroth said, voice level and even, "it is a _game_."

The man did relax a little, but he didn't say anything back… which actually said quite a bit about how much this game had gotten to him. To _them_.

"Of course she's heading north," Genesis growled. "To the capital."

Part of Sephiroth did not want to see this.

Part of him had to know.

What had happened to Wutai in this supposed future?

Thankfully, not all of their materia was gone… but most of it was, and they didn't have many high-levels left. Still, Genesis equipped what he could and they went after the little thief.

Getting around Wutai was a chore in and of itself. So many things poisoned them (true to life) and razor weed of any kind should never be that strong (was that how it was for other people who weren't SOLDIER? Of course, Cloud was supposedly SOLDIER, but Sephiroth still had his doubts). But thankfully they got to Wutai's capital without running into any more ShinRa troops or any Wutian soldiers.

So the war really was over.

What an odd, if amazing, thought.

What did they do to Wutai to get them to finally surrender?

Did he want to know?

Then the capital came into view. He and Genesis exchanged glances, saved the game, and entered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Not the happiest with this chapter, but it is much better thanks to Imagination7413.
> 
> I do discuss future ideas, past happenings, thoughts, suggestions and more on my Discord. Also, sometimes some sneak peeks and original stories. discord dot gg /U3yaEnBq6Q (dot to . and no spaces)


	17. Wutai and the Gold Saucer pt 2

None of the three friends had ever been to the capital of Wutai. Sephiroth had been fourteen when the war started, and Angeal and Genesis had practically come directly from cadet training into said war, so none of them had really had the chance. But they'd seen pictures. Wutai, for all its foreignness, had been a modern city with a strong emphasis on culture and history, but it had been a normal city. At least from the pictures Sephiroth had seen.

The 'town' they stepped into (if it could be called that, as there were a maximum of 8 buildings) looked nothing like the pictures. It looked more like they'd taken that culture and history the country was so proud of and dialed it up to eleven. The structures, while interesting and definitely Wutian, looked… false, for lack of a better word. Maybe it was just the fact that the game would have difficulties showing real wear and tear, but everything looked brand-new – like a showroom instead of a place where people actually _lived_.

"That's… Wutai?" Genesis asked.

"The architecture would indicate so," Sephiroth said slowly.

Genesis didn't respond.

Yuffie was there waiting for them. She even called out to them (or was that her exclaiming in surprise?) before running off. The next thirty or so minutes consisted of them chasing Yuffie around the town, the shops not selling anything to them and them trying to figure out how to get their materia back. Oh, and they ran into the Turks, who seemed determined to enjoy their 'vacation' instead of, perhaps, chasing the Eco-terrorists down. Well, except for Elena. She at least _tried_ to do her job.

And the idea of anyone from Midgar vacationing in Wutai struck Sephiroth as particularly strange, but especially the Turks. Who all seemed to be on vacation at the same time. _Why_?

The SOLDIERS continued to make Cloud try and talk to people in an attempt to find their missing party member with little success. It bothered Sephiroth that no one there seemed to speak their native language. Everyone spoke in Midgar's default instead. They also found out that Yuffie seemed to have problems with her father and how Godo had supposedly just surrendered to ShinRa…

"Wait," Genesis said, eyes going wide, "is this thing saying that that brat who stole our materia… is, in actuality, the Wutain princess and heir to the throne?"

Sephiroth felt his own eyebrows rise.

What.

He jotted that down in his notebook along with some of his other thoughts in a bit of a daze because _what_?

Once they got over that shock of confirmation, they wandered around, actually finding Godo laying down in his own house saying he didn't know any 'Yuffie' and to leave him alone to sleep…

Sephiroth _had_ met Godo before. He'd been a strong man, a powerful leader and a worthy warrior. He'd never actually fought the man, but his troops had a discipline and loyalty that he couldn't help but respect.

All in all, their initial romp through Wutai was… disconcerting.

Like more or less anything else in this game.

They also got caught in a cage. Who had cages in their houses? Seriously? Well, according to the game, the Wutaian royal family.

Yet another thing to check out… if they ever made it to Wutai… maybe this would be one verification they would have to just wonder about because Sephiroth didn't see that changing any time soon. Even if ShinRa won the war, he couldn't imagine anyone from the island nation would be happy or welcoming towards anyone related remotely to ShinRa.

And just when they were about to get their hands on the little thief, she got kidnapped by Don Corneo of all people. Apparently, so did Elena. Just how they captured even a newly-minted Turk and a ninja as slippery as Yuffie, Sephiroth had no idea, but at least he could smirk to himself and know that this would never happen now with Don Corneo in prison.

Probably a good thing for everyone involved as by the time they were finished fighting the Don's pet monster on the mountain (how many of those did he have?!), Sephiroth wanted to head down to the ShinRa holding cells and very slowly kill the man. Lecherous didn't seem to really describe the disgusting piece of filth.

Of course, the Turks came in to rescue their own after Cloud and AVALANCHE had done all of the hard work.

At least Yuffie gave their materia back.

How could the Princess of Wutai be so utterly… frustrating? Infuriating? Annoying? All of the above?

They left the town, but Sephiroth thought it would be a good idea to go back in and see if the weapons shop would sell them wears now. They did.

The duo playing the game took a couple of minutes to redistribute the materia correctly (at least, according to Genesis).

Then, on their way out again, they decided to take one more look around the town. They found they could rest in the Royal household for free, and took advantage of that to heal themselves (something Sephiroth _still_ found strange).

Once they woke, they found out that they could actually have Yuffie take a test of trials inside the Sacred Pagoda… that no one outside of Wutai had ever seen inside of before.

"Angeal would probably say this is sacrilegious," Genesis said, amused.

"Does he believe in Dai Chou," Sephiroth asked.

Genesis shook his head. "No, but he would go off on some nonsense about how they still deserve respect."

That didn't sound like nonsense to Sephiroth. Still, he was curious about some of the rumors he'd heard and he did want to know if the fighters inside the pagoda actually changed form… That might explain some of the monsters they'd sent against ShinRa, recently.

The two of them had Yuffie fight her way up to the top of the building, only to fail on the fourth trial. As frustrating as that was, they decided to reevaluate their materia and try again. So, ten minutes later, Yuffie and Godo were both laying on the floor after a supposed double knock out (which is _not_ what had happened... game insanity) and it turned out that Yuffie and Godo were actually very similar and both loved Wutai in their own way. Godo had given into ShinRa because otherwise it would have completely wiped the country he loved off of the map. Yuffie saw giving up as a weakness.

It… hurt a little, to see that that's how the war would supposedly end. It wasn't as if Sephiroth wanted to _lose_ the war, per se, but he suddenly realized that he did not want ShinRa to _win_ it, either.

What a troubling thought process.

After that, Godo gave them the Leviathan Materia.

"So it _does_ exist," Genesis said, almost reverently.

"According to the game," Sephiroth added on.

Genesis acquiesced the point with a shrug as they played on.

They traversed the island nation back towards the South where they'd parked the Tiny Bronco and had just reclaimed their vehicle when the door opened down the hall and Angeal strode out. He looked tired, but better as he cracked his neck and stretched on his way to the couch. The other two hadn't moved much, so he simply retook his place with a yawn.

"What did I miss?" he asked.

Genesis handed the controller over to Sephiroth as he prepared to summarize the last two hours of gameplay. As he did so, Sephiroth moved the Tiny Bronco, wandering around the shallow waters of the ocean as the game wouldn't let them go any deeper for some reason. He'd wandered all the way to the Northern Continent before he got out and began to speak to people in the Bone Village (who would build a city out of bones like that?!). Apparently neither Genesis or Angeal noticed. The latter was too shocked at the revelation of the Wutaian Princess.

Asking around the village made Sephiroth realize that they had to backtrack to the Gold Saucer to get the keystone for the Temple of the Ancients. Needless to say, he was rather annoyed. Still, he dutifully got back into the Tiny Bronco and began retracing the trail he'd taken to get up there. Of course, _that_ was when the other two seemed to catch up because they asked him where he was going. He informed them, and then Genesis remembered something they'd heard about in Gongaga – apparently a person selling a keystone to Dio… hence why they were heading back to Corel.

That would have been nice to know ten minutes ago.

Finally, they made their way back to the Gold Saucer.

This time, with all the Gil they had, they decided to go for a life-time ticket, just in case they had to come back again.

It still seemed like a waste of money to Sephiroth.

After a little more running around (during which Sephiroth concluded he was glad to have slept through the first time through the attraction), they found the Show Room, and Sephiroth got his first look at Dio: a bodybuilder in a yellow swimsuit.

This game.

And some people.

They had to proceed to fight through the battle square to 'impress' the man so they could get the keystone that Dio had displayed for everyone to see. The whole experience wouldn't have been so bad if, after each battle, there hadn't been a handicap forced on them. They only made it about five fights in before they lost. It probably didn't help that with the handicap slots, they broke all of their materia _and_ their ability to use items. However, Dio was still apparently impressed enough to give them the keystone.

They went to leave, but the Tram was having technical difficulties, so Cait Sith suggested they stay for the night. They had picked him up at the Gold Saucer, and he said he knew people who could get them in to stay for free. They weren't given the option to refuse. Of course, where were they supposed to go? Back to the Corel prison? Sephiroth supposed they could walk out of there, but he remembered Angeal saying it was easy to get lost in the desert, so that wasn't, perhaps, the best idea. Although, couldn't they just follow the cable the tram went on back to Corel?

Game insanity.

The next scene showed them in the lobby of the hotel… where ghosts were playing chess and no one seemed to care.

By this point, Sephiroth was just going to say 'whatever' and be done with it.

Everyone wanted an explanation and while Sephiroth was pretty sure he and his friends understood what was going on, they decided to have Cloud try to explain it anyway. It never hurt to make sure everyone was on the same page.

Cloud more or less summarized the game and it's incredible claims so far. They, as a group, were following Game Sephiroth, who was looking for the Promised Land. The Promised Land was supposed to be full of Mako energy, according to ShinRa, but no one knew if it actually existed. The Ancients, also known as the Cetra, believed they would return to the Promised Land and find everlasting happiness (apparently Barrett wasn't paying attention because he asked what the Cetra were… honestly). Then Aeris said that one could only find the Promised Land by searching until they felt they found it. That sounded ridiculous to Sephiroth, but he supposed he could see a culture believing that. Surprisingly, Aeris said she thought she could feel the Promised Land.

Game Sephiroth was also looking for the Black Materia. Genesis and Angeal had mentioned that to Sephiroth before, but he wasn't exactly sure what it meant. None of them had ever heard of a Black Materia. It didn't seem like the group knew what to make of that either. They'd never heard of it before coming to the Western Continent in the game. They only knew Game Sephiroth wanted it.

They spoke of the people in black capes with tattoos, and pointed out that Red XIII had a tattoo himself, given by Hojo. Apparently his scars were simply 'battle scars', but the number was purposeful. So there were at least twelve other people with tattoos. The black capes had something to do with Game Sephiroth and likely Hojo, but they didn't know exactly what. Sephiroth had some uncomfortable ideas…

Then Aeris said they should go after Hojo, and was about to say something else, but instead told them to never mind and rushed upstairs to bed. Yuffie followed her. Barrett seemed to want to just start over in the morning and left too.

Then Red – Nanaki walked up to Cloud, asking if he'd go mad too. Sephiroth found himself relating to the four-legged animal quite a lot just then. Tifa said he was alright so far, so he'd be fine. He just had to be strong. Somehow Sephiroth didn't think it was that easy. Neither, apparently, did Nanaki. He questioned, but Tifa cut him off, then pointed out how he wasn't the only one who was worried. She had a point. Cloud had been under Hojo's tender care at some point if he had SOLDIER enhancements, even if he didn't have a tattoo. And they had no idea what had been done to Vincent, although he obviously knew Hojo and had been experimented on at some point. There were quite a few people in their little group who could potentially 'go mad' if they were basing this off of Hojo and his experiments…

Cait Sith and Vincent both suggested they all retreat and cool down. Sephiroth thought that to be a sound idea.

And apparently Cid had been sleeping through the whole discussion anyway.

The scene faded out and then back in on a room with Cloud looking out the window. A tapping had Cloud walking back towards the center of the room, where he met Tifa who came in. She asked him to 'sneak out' and spend some time with her.

Sephiroth felt the next part of the game was… superfluous at best. The two of them were the hundredth couple to enter the stadium and were shoehorned into playing the lead roles in a play. Genesis protested. Vehemently.

After a couple of lines into the play, he got up.

"I've had enough. I need to visit the restroom anyway." Then he walked away grumbling about people who didn't understand theater or the art of the play and the plebeian masses who had no taste for true art. Once he'd closed the door to the restroom, Angeal glanced over at Sephiroth, and then burst into quiet laughter. Sephiroth looked away, smiling a little. That had been… very Genesis.

"I'm going to purposefully mess up the play," the brunet said after a minute, a mischievous smile stretching across his lips. "I'm just curious how it will turn out. And since Genesis isn't here…"

"I heard that!" the muffled voice of their friend came through the door. Angeal just snickered again and glanced at Sephiroth, who raised an eyebrow in amusement.

It turned out that purposefully messing up the play ended with Tifa, the princess Rosa, apparently, taking out the dreaded dragon herself. In all honesty, Sephiroth found it an amusing ending.

"I'd go see that play," Angeal said.

"You would," Genesis practically hissed as he returned to the living room and plopped sulkily down on the couch, continuing to mutter about 'uncultured swine'.

Angeal just looked amused, so Sephiroth assumed it wasn't meant as a true insult… or perhaps it was, but Angeal didn't seem to mind, so he decided he wouldn't mind either.

Cloud and Tifa went on the Gondola next. Sephiroth frowned as he had no control of where the two of them went. They got on the ride and then just sat in a wooden box with benches and windows, looking out over what must be the many levels of the Gold Saucer below.

Then it showed what they must be seeing. It looked… rather impossible to Sephiroth.

"How is that cable staying in the air?" he asked.

"Game insanity," Genesis replied.

Angeal and Sephiroth both smirked a little at that.

Then fireworks went off around them. At least that shot showed the cable going in a straight line over the top of everything, but still.

"Isn't that… dangerous?" Angeal asked.

"Most definitely," Genesis replied, a sharp grin on his face.

Both of his friends turned to look at him.

"What?" he asked. "They're terrorists in a game that claims the Hero of ShinRa goes utterly mad and wipes out villages. I'm allowed to be a little vindictive."

Angeal just sighed and shook his head. Sephiroth shrugged. He had a point, after all.

Tifa kept dancing around something, saying she'd just come out and say it… and then saying nothing.

"Just tell him, for Gaia's sake!" Genesis finally shouted at the screen as the gondola returned to it's spot.

Sephiroth tipped his head thoughtfully. "She was trying to tell him she… loved him?" If even he could pick up on it, then Cloud must be particularly dense.

"Yes!" Genesis said, throwing his hands in the air. "And if she can't come out and say it, she doesn't deserve it."

The Silver General blinked. "Deserve what?"

"A relationship with him!"

Oh. Was that what would have happened had she been able to say she liked him?

"It can't be that easy," Angeal said. "I mean, none of us have been in a relationship before. How would we know?"

"It can't be that difficult either," Genesis protested, folding his arms.

Tifa said she had fun tonight – although, after the disaster of a play and the awkward, dangerous ride in the gondola Sephiroth wasn't sure how that could possibly be true. And apparently she _still_ couldn't say what she'd been meaning to say to him.

Apparently Cloud really was even more clueless than Sephiroth.

Then they saw Cait Sith… who was acting suspicious and had the keystone.

"How did he get that?!" Genesis asked.

Then the robot (marionette?) cat spotted them and took off, leading them on a merry chase around the Gold Saucer. They should have caught him. Several times. The fact that the game didn't acknowledge that was… frustrating. Then the cat threw the keystone to Tseng. In a helicopter. How the game developers thought physics would work like that, Sephiroth had no idea, but the Turks flew off with the keystone.

Cait Sith admitted to being a spy sent by ShinRa. Then he wanted to go on like nothing had ever happened. Cloud said he had a lot of guts saying that. Sephiroth agreed. He didn't take well to traitors and backstabbers. Even if it was for a terrorist organization. Then the cat said something that made Sephiroth stop and think. They didn't get praised, they didn't get paid, and yet they continued to risk their lives on their little crusade. He wasn't wrong. And they weren't actively being terrorists anymore… although that didn't excuse what they'd done to reactors one and five. Still, he could see how that might look to a supposed ShinRa executive – who claimed to be controlling Cait Sith.

"From that distance? Whoever it is must have a phenomenal connection to be able to control a robot to a point where they can fight," Genesis snorted.

Then Cait Sith said he wouldn't feel good if things ended the way they were now.

"You should have thought of that before you stabbed us in the back," the red-head stated.

Sephiroth turned and raised one eyebrow at his friend. "'Us'?"

Genesis blinked, then looked defiantly at Sephiroth. "We are playing as 'them'. That is what I meant."

A valid explanation, but completely false. The Silver General simply nodded, not believing him for a moment.

The Commander harrumphed and sat back, sulking again.

It really was amusing.

Cloud and Tifa didn't want Cait Sith coming along with the party anymore. Sephiroth didn't blame them. You don't go into battle with someone you can't trust at your back. But then the robot pulled out a low card, blackmailing them with either a recording or broadcasting of Marlene.

"Did he just threaten a little girl?" Angeal asked, voice dangerous.

"He did," Sephiroth said.

"Scarlett," Genesis said. "It has to be Scarlett. She'd be heartless enough to do such, and machines are her area."

Sephiroth didn't agree. He couldn't think of anyone who fit everything they knew about Cait Sith… except…

Could it be?

But would he do something that cruel?

Of course, if ShinRa and the Turks were breathing down his neck…

"It's Tuesti," he said softly. The other two turned to him, startled. Sephiroth explained his reasoning. "He has the engineering ability to make something like that, and he's been helpful and patient up until this point. Scarlett wouldn't be."

Genesis frowned as Angeal looked thoughtful. "True," the red-head muttered.

"But Tuesti… wasn't he advocating for the President to not drop the Sector 7 plate?"

" _My friend, the fates are cruel. No dreams, no honor remains._ Advocating for not killing 50,000 innocent people and backstabbing a group of terrorists are two different things," Genesis pointed out, sounding far calmer now.

"He is a ShinRa executive," Sephiroth pointed out.

Angeal didn't look happy about that. He wasn't pouting like Genesis, but looked more troubled… and disappointed. "And we're ShinRa SOLDIERs," he said softly before turning back to the game.

Genesis looked over at his friend, worried. Neither of them had anything to really say to that, so they moved on.

Cait Sith told them he knew where the Temple of the Ancients was and that he'd tell them tomorrow. They'd get there after ShinRa, but they'd have to deal with that. Then the robot left.

The scene faded out with Tifa and Cloud looking after him and worried about Marlene.

When the screen faded back in, Cloud stood in a hotel room, presumably the one they'd been staying in. Sephiroth, who still had the controller, moved Cloud down the stairs and to the group waiting for him. True to his word, Cait Sith seemed happy to try and move on as if nothing had changed.

Angeal had his unique disappointed look and Genesis was staring at the screen with narrowed eyes.

The robot cat said to go east towards the sea. Aeris said she'd go with Cloud, and then the party menu came up. Angeal argued to use Cid, as they hadn't really fought with him much before and they weren't about to take the traitor they couldn't trust. At least they knew Cid didn't like ShinRa, and then Barrett could take care of Cait Sith.

They made their way out of the Gold Saucer, by the conveniently working tram this time – had that been ShinRa sabotage? – and back towards the Tiny Bronco that they'd left on the beach.

Sephiroth checked his phs. Just after four in the morning. He frowned. They had three hours until breakfast started, five until it ended and the work day started. He'd be skipping out on his morning exercises again, most likely, but they hadn't even gotten through the entirety of disk one yet. They had no idea how much further until the end either. It frustrated him that they wouldn't be able to finish the whole game today. They'd also have to discuss what they were going to do about some of the issues they needed to check up on.

Someone needed to find Cloud Strife and question him. Someone (who wasn't Sephiroth) needed to see when they could get a mission to Nibelheim. Sehpiroth would like to see if Reeve Tuesti had a Robot Cat he'd made and he'd like to meet this 'Aerith' that Angeal had found.

He also needed to decide what to do about ShinRa and, most of all, Hojo.

Although that wasn't a train of thought he really wanted to entertain right now.

Of course, would he ever?

He promised himself he'd bring that up when they went to breakfast.

Meanwhile, he searched around for the Temple of the Ancients and braced himself for more of the game's disquieting revelations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Thanks again to Imagination7413 for beta reading this and just being there to bounce ideas off of!
> 
> Not entirely happy with this chapter. Some things I like some things I don't, and let's be real, we all want to get to the end of disk 1. ^^; Or past it. *ahem* 
> 
> xAshes made another awesome comic! https://sta.sh/0o4z8uo07r6 
> 
> And last but not least, Discord: discord.gg/U3yaEnBq6Q


	18. The Temple of the Ancients

It took them more than ten (very frustrating) minutes of just wandering in the Tiny Bronco to find the Temple of the Ancients. It turned out to not be just east, but south as well. Quite far south if the pyramid-like structure was what they were looking for. Sephiroth was pretty sure it was.

"'Just go east,' he says," Genesis grumbled. "Yes, let's follow the advice of the untrustworthy traitor in our midst."

Neither of the other two said anything as Angeal, whom Sephiroth had given the controller to, had Cloud run up to the ruins.

The screen switched to a closer view of it and panned down just as Cloud ran onto the screen. Aeris, Cloud and Sid split apart (still strange) and the flower girl walked onto the rope bridge leading across a... moat? Some kind of defense? Well, whatever it was, Aeris fell onto her knees over it.

"Why is it always rope bridges?" Genesis asked. "We've seen how they fail."

Angeal shrugged and Sephiroth didn't bother to answer. Genesis pouted.

Aeris laid down on the bridge, talking about how she could feel that this was the Temple of the Ancients, how she could feel the knowledge floating there… Then she said something about how it could become one with the planet but was stopping itself from doing so with the sheer strength of will. Cloud asked if she was alright, if she understood. She didn't answer and ran into the building, talking about how it's uneasy but happy because she's there, but that she doesn't understand.

"Sounds like she understands to me," Genesis said.

"Shh," Angeal hushed as Aeris said she wanted to go inside. So they went up the stairs and ran into a person in a black cape.

Sephiroth grit his teeth, brow furrowed.

The caped person had the number 9 tattooed on them… and then it somehow rose into the sky with green flashes and vanished.

"What was that?" Genesis asked.

"I… have no idea," Angeal said with a frown.

"She was sending him on – helping him," Sephiroth said softly. Both of his friends turned to him. "That is my hypothesis," he went on, not wanting to explain (or even acknowledge) that it just felt right.

The game didn't comment on it, so all they could do was run inside. So they did.

They met Tseng there, leaning against a stone.

"Is he wounded?" Genesis asked.

The Turk said he'd been betrayed. "It would seem so," Sephiroth answered. He honestly felt little remorse for the man. He was, after all, a Turk. After sector 7, kidnapping Aeris and then Marlene, he felt that karma had finally caught up with the man.

'It's not the Promised Land Sephiroth is searching for,' the Turk said.

Cloud seemed to focus on the game version of the Silver General being there at all. Sephiroth wanted to know what his digital counterpart was really after.

Tseng went on to say that letting Aeris go was the beginning of his bad luck. Sephiroth thought it had started long before that, but it was something he didn't see a need to discuss, so he said nothing.

Aeris said Tseng had been wrong, that the President had been wrong and that she wouldn't help him. Sephiroth frowned. She wouldn't help him heal? Wouldn't help him find the Promised Land? Both? Neither?

"That was… vague," he said.

"Indeed," Genesis muttered.

Angeal said nothing.

Aeris went on to say that either way, ShinRa could never have won. And wasn't that poetic justice? The company that would do anything to win and make themselves more powerful put themselves in a position where they couldn't win through their own arrogance and greed?

Tseng seemed to accept that, saying that had been harsh but something she would say. Sephiroth disagreed. Aeris spoke her mind, true, but she didn't seem to be harsh about it. Her words hadn't even been harsh then, just… true. Of course, it was likely the truth of the words that had been harsh, not the words themselves.

The Turk then gave them the keystone and told them to put it on the altar and, laboriously, moved out of the way. Before going to the altar, Angeal walked Cloud over to Aeris, who had turned away from the group and looked as if she'd been crying. She said that even though Tseng was an enemy, she'd still known him since she was little. She couldn't say many people knew her, but Tseng was one of them.

Sephiroth wondered what it would be like, having to watch a friend who had become an enemy die. He tried to imagine Angeal and Genesis in that scenario and had to repress a shudder. That would be… difficult. Even if, for some reason, they were at odds when it happened.

The altar had a series of circles connected by paths leading to the edge closest to them. All the circles lit up and then Cloud sank through the floor.

What.

"Where even was the keystone?" Angeal asked.

Genesis snorted.

Sephiroth shook his head.

Cloud and his party came into what looked like a maze of stairways and walkways haphazardly thrown together. They also ran into a strange creature that they tried to follow, chasing them throughout the place, running into monsters even here, of course.

They caught up to the strange person with the large hat. All they said was, 'Nyum, nyum.' Aeris seemed to understand him, though. She explained that they were the bodies of the Ancients, left to protect the temple.

"Not doing their job well, are they," Genesis asked sardonically.

"Are they… _zombies_?" Angeal asked, frowning.

Sephiroth blinked. Aeris had said they were the bodies of the Ancients left behind, separated from their planet for a long time, and as such they'd lost the ability to talk…

"I… think so," Sephiroth said, uneasily. He didn't like the idea of zombies being an actual phenomenon.

Hojo must _never_ know about this game. Sephiroth wondered if he would have to convince the Turks of this. Because he would. The very idea of Hojo even contemplating some of the ideas this game postulated… no. Just, no.

The Ancient in the group said she could only understand so much of what he'd said.

And yet, somehow they could buy things from him; items, weapons and bangles.

"This game just keeps getting more and more ridiculous!" Genesis said, exasperation dripping from his words.

"I agree," Sephiroth said.

"Me too," Angeal said.

"Good. It's nice to know I'm not the only one with any brains around here."

The other two rolled their eyes and returned their focus on the game.

They wandered around a little more, trying to figure out where they were supposed to go next when they ran into another, for lack of a better word, Ancient zombie. They decided to follow them. It led the group to the most ridiculous place where boulders in the shape of a 'C' kept rolling down a path perpendicular to the path from the entrance. Half-way up the path, a stone walkway led to a pool of what looked like water.

"Where do they get all of those? How haven't they run out? Hasn't this been going on for _centuries_?" Genesis asked, sounding utterly done.

"There has to be a sensor of some sort," Angeal said, "the Ancients were able to talk with the planet. Perhaps they didn't need materia to perform magic."

Genesis humphed, unwilling to cede the point. Sephiroth could see Angeal's reasoning but felt it was giving the game a little too much credit.

In any case, they had to time their run up the pathway before they got to the pool and the materia there. Then they went back to timing their runs and got to the top of the walkway. Once they did, the stones stopped rolling down. It still seemed a bit far-fetched to Sephiroth, but then a lot of this game did.

Aeris looked like she was almost out of breath, but she turned and ran back to the pool they'd found the morph materia at. She said the pool was full of the knowledge of the Ancients – of a sentience. She said it was trying to talk to her but, again, she couldn't understand it. Something about danger and an evil consciousness…

Sephiroth was pretty sure he knew where this was going.

The pool said it would show her.

Through the transparent outlines of the group's heads, they could see a room with Tseng standing in it. The room had hieroglyphics and old pictures all over the walls. Then Elena ran up to him, asking if they could really find the Promised Land with this. Tseng shrugged and said he wondered. Then he told her to report to the President. Before she left, he asked her to dinner.

"Well, what do you know, Turks can have hearts," Genesis said dryly.

Elena left, Tseng went back to studying the walls… and then the music changed. Game Sephiroth's transparent head (and sword, of course) came by. Then he became opaque somehow and Tseng acknowledged him. Game Sephiroth thanked Tseng for opening the door. Instead of running, as he likely should have, the Turk asked what the room was.

"How can he possibly know?" Genesis asked.

Apparently he did, because he started explaining that the room was, 'A treasure house of knowledge and wisdom of the Ancients.' Then he went on to say he was becoming one with the planet.

"Are they simply changing motivations to suit their narrative?" Genesis asked, face deadpan.

"It certainly seems so," Angeal muttered.

Sephiroth appreciated that.

A lot.

Then Game Sephiroth split into two, one of them transparent and seeming to get closer to the three onlookers, going on about how he'd meld with all the energy, knowledge and wisdom of the planet, claiming it for his own.

"Since when do you like to monologue?" Genesis asked, now looking almost amused.

Sephiroth scoffed. "I don't."

Angeal smirked at that.

Of course, then opaque Sephiroth stabbed Tseng.

The transparent Sephiroth laughed, saying that it is through death that a new spirit is born. That they would live again… through him.

"Awfully arrogant, isn't he?" Genesis asked.

Sephiroth's face had gone blank again. His hand clenched, but he was proud of the fact that nothing came out through his voice when he said, "Indeed."

The vision faded and the three of them at the pool spoke about how they needed to 'end it here'. With two more disks, Sephiroth doubted that was how it would play out.

Newly determined, the three of them continued through the Temple.

They moved to go out of the room, and ran into another bird-like Ancient zombie. Who let them rest, restoring their HP and MP. At least they were pleasant zombies, Sephiroth supposed.

The next room held a sort of clock that acted as a risky bridge they had to manipulate. The center dias looked like it had a mouth that opened and closed… and they expected Cloud to walk across it. Right. It didn't take them long to figure out how to work the mechanism, and a couple of minutes later they moved into the next room. Well _a_ next room as they ended up back where they'd started in the stair-maze room… but it had a treasure box with a ribbon in it.

"Useful, if it's the kind of ribbon I think it is," Angeal said. At Sephiroth's glance, he went on to explain. "I've heard of ribbon relics that have some sort of magic woven into them that stops all status effects."

"Those don't exist," Genesis said.

The brunet shrugged. "Neither does the Leviathan Materia, supposedly."

"This game makes unbelievable claims," the red-head returned.

Angeal raised an eyebrow at his friend. "Like a church in sector five and a vent large enough for people to crawl through from a bathroom to the main meeting room or echoes of conversations that no one should know about or—"

"Very well, you've made your point," Genesis snapped. "Besides, that doesn't mean _everything_ has to be true! It was off about the girl's name. And the puppy's. And surely not all the strangeness can be waved off with 'Game Insanity'."

It went unsaid that 'off' didn't necessarily mean 'wrong' and most of the insanity was poor representation of people or story elements but somewhat explainable by low budget and limitations of the medium.

After a moment, the brunet just shrugged and turned back to the screen. A moment later, Genesis did as well, grumbling under his breath about how he didn't need enemies when he had these kinds of friends. He didn't really sound angry though, so Sephiroth let it slide as the game continued.

They also found a Princess Guard staff, which had no materia growth but some excellent stats for Aeris.

In the next room, they found themselves chasing (and apparently having to capture) another Ancient zombie by guessing where different archways in the wall would lead.

"How did Game Sephiroth get past all of this?" Sephiroth wondered. "It isn't as if I can fly." And somehow, he didn't think his crazy counterpart would have the patience to go through all of this.

The other two shook their heads.

Far too many frustrating guesses later, they finally caught their Ancient bird-zombie.

Sephiroth frowned at that thought. And there was Genesis creeping into his inner monologue again.

The zombie let them rest and save the game. They did so and then moved to the next room.

Which just happened to be the room with the murals. Despite not being physically in danger, he braced himself anyway.

Cloud angrily called out for 'Sephiroth' and the screen flashed white. Then two transparent overlaps of the polygon character appeared, rising to its feet, with the game Masamune in hand.

"I'll give him this, he has a decent sense of drama," Genesis commented. Sephiroth wasn't sure whether to be annoyed or angry at that and settled for something a little in between.

Then Game Sephiroth said something strange: He said he'd always be by Cloud's side. What did he mean by that rather ominous statement?

They ran further into the room only to stop when they met a far more solid looking representation of the Silver General. He said that the room was a treasure house of knowledge. Cloud said he didn't understand. Game Sephiroth laughed and jumped off the screen towards the top.

They had Cloud run farther in and once again straight into Game Sephiroth. It took Sephiroth a moment to realize the mural his game counterpart had been studying had what looked like a picture depicting a very large comet. Sephiroth had a Comet Materia. He'd personally overloaded and not gotten anything larger than the side-table at the end of his couch. Most people didn't get that big, even.

He didn't say anything, waiting for the game to explain.

The characters on screen spoke and Game Sephiroth again mentioned that he would become one with the planet (something they still had no actual context for) before devolving into a laugh and jumping up and backwards off the screen again.

A little further and they found Game Sephiroth sitting down, leaning his back against the altar talking about how it was almost time, 'Mother', and how they would soon be one. So he would be one with Jenova and with the planet? Was he insinuating that Jenova was the planet? That made no sense…

And then they approached him. Somehow, this version of AVALANCHE didn't seem all that saner than Game Sephiroth.

Aeris asked how he would become one with the planet…

And he _explained_ it _._ Went on about how if the planet gets injured badly enough, energy will coalesce to heal it and Game Sephiroth wanted to throw the ultimate black magic at the planet, 'Meteor'. He spoke about all of this as he changed color and didn't seem to be fully there.

Genesis, once again, seemed to be on the same page as him. "There's drama, and then there's stupidity. Or sheer arrogance."

"Why would he just explain himself like that? That's not like Sephiroth at all," Angeal agreed.

Sephiroth felt himself relax a little. Hearing them say that over and over again should mean he would become desensitized to the warmth their support brought… and yet, he couldn't say that was happening. Against all odds, he just felt more and more grateful for it.

Then Game Sephiroth seemed to fly right past (or through? It was difficult to see) Cloud, and said 'Wake up', before vanishing… again. Cloud chased him, the other two followed.

When they caught up with him, he was standing in front of the Meteor mural and… laughing?

"Oh, that cannot be good," Angeal said softly.

" _Dreams of the morrow hath the shattered soul…_ You have a talent for understatement, my friend," Genesis muttered.

The brunet shook his head. "Did he just overpower Cloud? Or _possess_ him?" Angeal asked, sounding both disbelieving and utterly confused.

"I… am not sure," the thespian said, both troubled and contemplative judging from his tone.

Sephiroth also wasn't sure what to think. Did his game counterpart have some way to control Cloud? If so, how? Why Cloud and not, say, Aeris? Wouldn't that be more beneficial and help him reach his (rather ridiculous) goal of merging with the planet?

They watched in a sort of morbid fascination as Cloud laughed and spoke of Meteor and 'Mother'. He also seemed to have the strange doubleness (for lack of a better word) that Game Sephiroth had had. It almost looked he was splitting, or like like his soul didn't quite match up with his body and was lagging behind or trying to break free, perhaps?

If the game makers were going for a surreal feeling, they certainly hit their mark. For once.

After a moment, he said his name was Cloud and he remembered his way. The doubleness stopped and he turned to the other two, who seemed understandably relieved.

Then he asked if something was wrong. They responded that nothing was, which seemed rather stupid to Sephiroth. That wasn't something they could just brush off. That indicated a serious psychosis reminiscent of some war veterans he'd seen. They repressed terrible memories and just remained in a state of denial until they snapped and their minds broke.

What had Cloud gone through that would result in something like that?

"What was that?" Genesis asked.

"Stress Shock," Sephiroth responded.

The other two paused and looked over at him, so he continued to explain.

"We've all seen the results of war and trauma. Can you honestly tell me his denial doesn't remind you of the remnants of a shattered mind trying to deal with the horrors of war?" He frowned and looked back at the screen. "Not everyone reacts in predictable ways to such things, but it is far too reminiscent of battle trauma. I suspect something happened to him and this is how the game portrayed it, likely due to other limitations in the medium. And Game Sephiroth," he almost sneered the name, "is taking advantage of his shattered mind somehow."

"Hmm," Genesis hummed thoughtfully, "that would explain why he went after Cloud and not, say, Aeris."

So he'd noticed that too? Of course he had. Genesis had a sharp mind and he loved plays and books enough to spot such things. So Sephiroth simply nodded.

"They should have said something to him," Angeal said, frowning.

Despite his earlier thoughts, Sephiroth had to disagree. "With a powerful, known hostile in the room, it would be more damaging to say something to him now and either end up in an argument, set him off, or rob him of his ability to fight. They'll have to tell him later."

"True," Angeal agreed, but he didn't sound pleased.

The group examined the mural on the wall, confirming that it had been what Game Sephiroth spoke of. They also mentioned the Black Materia and how that was what called the spell of Meteor down.

"I wonder," Genesis said, "where did this 'Black Materia' come from?" Sephiroth glanced over at his friend in question. "Why would the ancients make such a materia? Did they really have such powers as to actually produce whatever kind of materia they wanted? If so, why create something so destructive?"

"If Ancients and humans are related," Angeal answered, "then there were likely some power-hungry among them. If President ShinRa knew his company could make something like that…" he trailed off, knowing that he didn't have to finish.

"So they recognized the threat and hid it away?" Genesis asked as Aeris went on to explain. Although, how she knew how to read the hieroglyphics, Sephiroth had no idea.

The screen started shaking. They blamed Game Sephiroth. He (or his disembodied voice, if Sephiroth caught the subtext correctly) denied any fault… and then the group had to fight a red dragon.

"So, there is a defense," Genesis mused.

Of course, once they finished the battle, there was no sign of Sephiroth. There was, however, a _Bahamut_ materia. The king of dragons – one of the rarest materia to have ever existed (not counting Leviathan).

"I don't know how they are so lucky as to keep finding these materais, but I want that luck," Genesis grouched.

After a couple of seconds' contemplation, they decided to head back to the strange altar Game Sephiroth had been leaning against. They found a transparent, floating pyramid above it. How strange. The three game characters spoke of how it said 'Black Materia' on it and then what they should do about it. A menu came up that said 'Shake it', 'Take it', and 'Leave'.

"Leave," Genesis said, almost immediately. "With Cloud potentially compromised, them possessing it would be more of a risk and danger than leaving it alone. Game Sephiroth hasn't taken it yet, and either it's another example of game logic – insanity, excuse me – or there's a reason. If he hasn't taken it already, he won't."

Angeal shook his head. "It's still too dangerous to leave it. We have no idea what Game Sephiroth will do to get it or how many people he'll…" he faded off, glanced over at Sephiroth, then went on as if nothing had happened. "How many people will die if we simply leave it alone and someone besides Cloud can handle it. This is a chance, I say take it."

"Shake it," Sephiroth disagreed with both of them. "We'll obviously have to do something to get it besides simply taking whatever it is, and somehow I doubt we can move on in the story if we don't try."

"If it were just a game, I would agree," Genesis said. "But as you've both proven time and again, it isn't."

"That doesn't mean there isn't a narrative," Sephiroth replied. "And these people haven't shown the… highest mental acuity."

The red-head sighed, looking put upon, as if he was the one who had to deal with everything and not watch as a third party. "Very well. Shake it."

Angeal shrugged and picked that. The whole room shook again and then… nothing. Aeris said she'd ask what they should do.

"Why didn't she ask before?" Genesis grumbled.

No one seemed to care enough to answer that so they moved on.

After a couple of seconds, Aeris told them that the temple itself is the Black Materia. Sephiroth closed his eyes and tried to imagine how something like that could even be possible.

"What?" Angeal asked, confused.

" _My soul, corrupted by vengeance, hath endured torment…"_

He didn't finish the line, and it did fit rather well like that.

Aeris went on to explain that the mechanism was a miniature of the temple and that by solving puzzles, the building would grow smaller and smaller until it could fit in the palm of a hand. She said something about the person solving getting smaller too…

"It's a shrinking spell of some kind?" Genesis asked, looking suddenly more intrigued and skeptical.

The Ancient must have mistranslated, because she also said that whoever stayed to solve the puzzle, would die. So, no shrinking spell as the Temple got smaller. Sephiroth blinked. What a horrible way to die… He'd much rather just prefer a sword through the gut.

Cid suggested they leave it alone. Cloud pointed out that Game Sephiroth had 'flunkies' (the black-robed figures, likely) to sacrifice. Although why he hadn't brought any with him for just this occasion…

Going crazy didn't seem to do Sephiroth any favors.

He examined that thought again and decided to ignore the blatant obviousness of the statement.

While they were deciding what to do, Cloud's PHS went off.

"That's some good reception," Angeal said.

"It is supposed to be in the future," Sephiroth pointed out.

Cait Sith was on the other end. He said he'd ( _somehow_ ) overheard the whole thing. Had he planted bugs on them?

"This is why you _always_ carry around a jammer," Genesis said haughtily.

Cloud said they couldn't let ShinRa get their hands on the Black Materia any more than they could Game Sephiroth. Cait Sith pointed out that they didn't have many options. He wasn't wrong.

"I still say we just leave it," the Commander muttered.

Angeal just rolled his eyes and picked that they didn't have another choice. Apparently he'd taken Sephiroth's point about the potential narrative to heart. It was a little ironic that he'd had to argue the point when Genesis was usually the one to push similar ideas.

Cait Sith said he'd meet them at the exit (how did he expect to get past all the monsters himself?) and for them to hurry out. They retraced their steps.

The next two rooms were easily traversed, but the third, a fairly unfamiliar one, was moving strangely and had ominous music to it as well. Cloud ran up to the door as Aeris and Cid ran out of him and turned around. The door wouldn't open… and then a giant head and arms of some sort came _out of the wall_.

"What in the name of Gaia is that?!" Genesis exclaimed.

"I'm glad I made sure they had full health," Angeal muttered.

The thing had some devastating attacks. Fortunately, they had a lovely new summon to play with, that did a lot of nice damage. Once they got their limit breaks in, though, it went down easily enough.

No sooner had they defeated the Demon Wall than Cait Sith came in through the door.

"Whatever happened to waiting at the exit?" Genesis asked, annoyed. None of them were very happy with Cait Sith right now.

No one seemed to really know what to say to the back-stabbing betrayer, although somehow it got around to Aeris asking him to predict how compatible she and Cloud were. Sephiroth rolled his eyes at the utter inanity.

Cait Sith said that Cloud and Aeris were perfect for each other (and poor Tifa). He said they had a great future ahead of them.

"They hardly know each other!" Genesis protested. "Even if it took the equivalent of months to get here – something we saw no indication of – they haven't been alone since they first met! This is ridiculous."

He huffed, then cleared his throat, " _Legend shall speak of sacrifice at world's end..._ "

Angeal raised an eyebrow at Genesis in amusement. "A sacrifice? "

"Cloud will have to pick eventually. Either one or the other or neither. I doubt either of the girls would be happy with 'both'."

Sephiroth still thought it all pointless, but decided not to say anything.

Cait Sith went on to babble inanely even more and said that he'd be Cloud's preacher or anything he wanted. Somehow, he was under the delusion that they would trust him again.

Then he turned and bowed, as if ashamed, and thanked them for believing in him, despite knowing he was a spy. Well, Sephiroth supposed they were technically believing in him at the moment, but they honestly had no other choice. Then he said it was the final farewell and Aeris wished him to be strong.

"I say, 'Good riddance,'" Genesis said dryly. Angeal shot him an exasperated look and thus didn't see Sephiroth nodding in agreement. Then it showed Cait Sith bouncing along in the hieroglyphics room (were there any more monsters to confront?) and bouncing along as the room shook.

'She told me to be strong. I'm so happy.' The text appeared on the screen.

"If that's all it took to make him happy, no wonder ShinRa got a hold of him," Genesis groused.

Then the puppet tripped, very slowly rose again, and said something about still being able to move. Why would he say that? He hadn't even reached the altar where they were supposed to solve puzzles yet.

Then he did reach it, and the mechanical cat commented on the craftsmanship. A 'ding' that Sephiroth usually associated with picking up an item or materia sounded. Did that mean he'd solved a puzzle? Then he just… stood in front of the table and looked around… wasn't he supposed to be solving puzzles still?

He said he was embarrassed about wanting to save the planet too, that there were many stuffed animals but just one him. Sephiroth supposed that was true. He wasn't an expert at coding, but he knew enough to see uniqueness when he saw it.

'Don't forget me, even if another Cait Sith comes along.'

"Oh, Gaia, there are more of them?" Genesis asked, sounding both tired and horrified.

"He only solved _maybe_ one puzzle," Angeal said, annoyed. Sephiroth snorted quietly to show his agreement.

The screen faded to white and Sephiroth really couldn't say he was terribly upset.

Then it showed Cloud, Aeris and Cid outside, watching the temple as a dark green aura interspersed with lighter green lightning appeared around it. Then it disappeared and the group ran back across the bridge.

The group reached the edge of a rather square hole. At the bottom, a black orb floated.

Cid said he was going to have a smoke – that it was 'something' to have a smoke in a place like 'this'.

What.

"Doesn't he _always_ smoke?" Genesis asked, bored. "The hand-waving at this part astounds me."

Cloud jumped down into the hole, and Aeris climbed down after him.

"Don't let him touch it!" Angeal yelled at the screen. "He's obviously compromised somehow!"

The blond picked it up. Then turned to ask if Aeris could use it. She said only people with 'great spiritual power' could use it.

"How does one obtain 'great spiritual power'?" Sephiroth asked his friends. Angeal shook his head and Genesis shrugged.

Fortunately the game explained that it would take a good deal of spiritual energy, so many people using it at once.

"Well, that's a relief," Angeal said, sitting back against the couch.

Sephiroth frowned. Something was off here… and out of the corner of his eye, he saw a frown on Genesis.

Then Aeris said 'somewhere special, where there is plenty of the Planet's energy'.

So, theoretically, if Game Sephiroth got his wish of merging with the Planet's energy and taking it for himself… but then, why would he want to destroy the world after that? He needed Meteor to injure the planet, but he needed the Planet's energy to summon Meteor.

Unless he somehow had enough energy already… but how could he have gotten that?

They suggested the Promised Land… and rejected it. Wise of them seeing as there was no proof the Promised Land existed.

Then they said that Game Sephiroth was different – not an Ancient. Right, since Jenova wasn't an Ancient…

Sephiroth grit his teeth and his hands became fists again. This was getting… frustrating.

Because he wasn't an Ancient, he couldn't find the Promised Land.

Of course, then Game Sephiroth appeared at the lip of the hole. To Cid's credit, he immediately ran towards the threat, but then the silver-haired character rose into the air, claiming he was far superior to the Ancients. He traveled the Lifestream and gained the wisdom and knowledge of the Ancients, or at least he claimed so. Oh, and he did so after the extinction of the Ancients as well…

"Definitely arrogance," Genesis muttered.

Sephiroth focused on keeping his breathing even instead of commenting. He didn't expect a game to make him this… _angry_ , no matter how accurate it could be.

Then Game Sephiroth said he'd create the future.

Aeris protested. Game Sephiroth said, 'Wake up' and the screen flashed. Then Cloud fell to his knees as Game Sephiroth slowly descended – still through the air, of course – into the pit. There were two Clouds at that point, although one of them looked significantly smaller than the other.

"Can't you control him?" Genesis asked.

Angeal held the controller in front of his friend's face as he pressed buttons and used the joysticks. Only the smaller Cloud moved, and even then he only turned in place.

'Good boy,' Game Sephiroth said. Sephiroth could just imagine the smug, superior tone that Hojo used… except in his voice. It made him sick.

Then only the younger Cloud could run around while the older Cloud got up and began to run in slow motion towards Game Sephiroth… while Aeris stood around, of course. No matter what Angeal did, they couldn't stop Cloud from giving the Black Materia to the Sephiroth on the screen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> xXx
> 
> AN: If we knew it was coming does that still make it a cliffhanger? *ponders*
> 
> So! I've finally finished my webcomic! If you'd like to read it all, you can go here: webtoons.com/en/challenge/hope-for-scars-h/list?title_no=430254&page=1 , or you can google 'webtoons hope for scars' and it's the first one that comes up. :)
> 
> Also, Discord: discord.gg/9tMAyCxEqJ 
> 
> Thank you so much, Imagination7413 ! You really saved this chapter!


	19. Temple of the Ancients pt 2 and the Forgotten City pt 1

Game Sephiroth flew off, Black Materia in hand. Cid kept running around as if that would do any good and Aeris approached Cloud, asking if he was alright.

"Of _course_ he isn't!" Genesis said.

Cloud said he couldn't believe he gave the Black Mateira to Game Sephiroth. He asked Aeris what he'd done.

Kindly, she knelt down and told him to be strong.

He proceeded to utterly panic.

"I still can't really control him," Angeal said, his voice low and very displeased.

Aeris told Cloud it wasn't his fault.

Then… well, the sickening feeling in his gut intensified as Cloud leapt at Aeris and started swinging his fists.

"Is he punching the floor, or…?" Angeal ventured to start. At that point, Sephiroth noticed that younger Cloud was back and separate from his older self.

"Or her?" Genesis finished.

Apparently, the young Cloud could be controlled, but couldn't seem to do anything as Angeal made him run up to his older self (body?) and try to stop him.

Cid jumped down into the pit, yelling and asking what he was doing.

Oh, and apparently another Cait Sith (Cait Sith 2, according to the dialogue) showed up and asked if it was a bad time. Sephiroth thought that question was superfluous at best.

Cid did something and Cloud collapsed again. The screen went white, Cloud (or at least Sephiroth assumed it was Cloud) voiced that observation and then said he didn't remember anything, and, 'If everything's a dream, don't wake me.'

"A dream?" Angeal asked. "What kind of dream?"

"Not a good one," Genesis commented.

Sephiroth felt that was, rather, an understatement.

The screen faded from white into a forested scene with light shining in the background. A song Sephiroth remembered hearing when they'd first met Aeris began to play. She peeked out from behind a tree and asked Cloud if he could hear her.

He said he could (again with the text just appearing across the screen, but it had to be Cloud speaking), then apologized for what happened.

"He'd better apologize," Angeal said darkly.

"It wasn't entirely his fault," Sephiroth said, his voice quiet but steely.

Angeal looked over at him worriedly. "It isn't yours either."

Sephiroth took a silent, but deep breath, then let it out slowly. It helped. "I know. But somebody out there thinks it is."

Several seconds of quiet, and then his larger friend spoke again. "Maybe we should quit for the day, then."

"No," Sephiroth said, checking his PHS. 5:13 am. "We have less than four hours before breakfast ends and I'm sure I am not the only one who needs to prepare for the day. We have approximately three hours to get as far as we can in this game and figure out as much as we can."

He saw Angeal open his mouth, but then close it again and shake his head.

"Very well," he finally said with a sigh and continued on.

Aeris told Cloud not to worry about what had happened. That didn't seem like the best idea to Sephiroth, but this was likely a dream anyway. A dream within a dream? The dream Cloud didn't want to wake up from?

Cloud said he couldn't help it… Couldn't help worrying? Or couldn't help what he'd done?

Aeris walked off behind the tree and disappeared. Then she jumped out from behind another tree on the other side of the screen, much closer. Well, more support for the 'dream' theory. After a few more words of consolation and contemplation, she ran towards the screen and said to let her handle Game Sephiroth.

Genesis burst out laughing.

"Ancient or not, she's a slip of a girl at best! What can she possibly do against Sephiroth?"

On the screen, she started giggling and then faded away, only to walk out from behind yet another tree on the first side, except closer than before. She looked directly at the screen and said:

'And Cloud, you take care of yourself.'

Sephiroth felt his eyes widen. "She's leaving," he said.

"After what happened, I don't blame her," Angeal pointed out. "Even if he didn't mean it, it still happened and she can't trust him."

Just before she disappeared back behind the tree, she leaned backwards and looked back at the screen. 'So don't you have a breakdown, okay?'

'A little late for that, isn't it?" Genesis muttered. Sephiroth didn't agree. What Cloud had gone through… that was horrible. But it wasn't a breakdown. He had a very unpleasant premonition that things would get worse before they got better for Cloud… He had to address that Stress Shock* at some point, or it would just make everything worse when whatever else was wrong with their main character came to light.

Then she and Cloud both floated down from the top of the screen, touching down gently. Cloud looked around, as if he'd never seen the area before.

'What is this place?' he asked.

Aeris responded that it was the Sleeping Forest outside the City of the Ancients. Both of those were in blue text.

"I've heard of that place," Angeal said. "It's up near the Icicle City and Modeoheim."

Sephiroth was a little impressed. He'd only heard of one of those before.

Aeris went on to explain that it was only a matter of time before Game Sephiroth used Meteor and only an Ancient could stop him.

"It looks like that's where we're going next," Angeal said with a frown.

"This girl needs to make up her mind," Genesis said, annoyed. "Does she want to go there herself, or does she want him to follow? Telling him this will allow him to follow, but then what's the point of going off on her own?"

And it seemed Sephiroth was back to agreeing with Genesis again.

It really was just strange. And how often had he thought that recently?

She went on to say she felt that she was being led by something as she turned around and walked towards the light at the back of the screen. She said she'd be going now and she'd come back when it was all over.

When what was all over? How was she going to defeat any version of Sephiroth? She may be an ancient, but she was also unenhanced and a healer, not a fighter.

She still turned and ran off. Cloud called after her and went to run, but seemed to only be able to do so in slow motion… and in place. She just got further and further away until she disappeared.

Then Game Sephiroth interjected, saying that if she was going to interfere, she'll be difficult. He spoke to Cloud as if they were old friends… and considering everything that had happened between them, Sephiroth found that reprehensible.

Then the silver-haired figure floated down and landed where Aeris had just stood.

'We must stop that girl, soon.'

Then the screen flashed white and black again.

The screen faded into a small, homey room with two beds. Cloud lay on one. Barrett and Tifa stood in the room looking at him, apparently waiting for him to wake up. They expressed worry, insinuated that Cloud had been out for a while, and then informed him that Aeris left. No one knew where she was. Cloud told them what Aeris told him. They wanted to go after her. For good reason, in Sephiroth's opinion.

Then Cloud said one of the most sensible things he'd said so far. He didn't want to go after her because he was afraid he might lose control of himself again. It was sensible, and yet…

"He's depressed," Angeal said quietly. "And well on the way to that breakdown Aeris asked him not to have."

So that was depression? Sephiroth wouldn't know. Interesting. Perhaps he'd have to look into it later.

It didn't help that Barrett seemed to blame Cloud for handing the Black Materia over. He went on to say that Cloud had problems, but the ex-SOLDIER didn't even understand himself, even if Cloud had dedicated himself to a course of action, insinuating the blond needed to stick with what he'd started.

Well, that was true, but he was still compromised. Sephiroth wouldn't let him go were he there.

Barrett went on to say that Cloud wasn't alone. Many people didn't know themselves, but they went on because they had to. Then Tifa said she believed in him and both of them left. Cloud still didn't seem to know what to do, but at least Barrett told Tifa to give him time. One of the more thoughtful things he'd said the entire game.

Meanwhile Cloud said he didn't want to find out the truth.

The trio playing the game then found out that Aeris had left all the materia that had been equipped to her. More than a little ridiculous seeing as she was a mage and distance fighter.

Then, seeing as they didn't have anything else to really do, they went outside the hut. Tifa and Barrett were waiting for him.

"Gongaga?" Angeal said, frown returning to his face.

Barrett asked if Cloud was alright, then pointed out that no matter what the blond chose, if he just stayed around the area, he'd only worry. He may as well do something useful. If he went nuts when Game Sephiroth came around, then he went nuts.

"That's a rather blasé attitude," Genesis said, unimpressed.

"He's not wrong, though," Angeal said.

Then Barrett said that if he did go nuts, Barrett would stop him. Slap him up his 'spiky head'. Well, it was a nice sentiment if nothing else.

Tifa supported Barrett and encouraged Cloud and eventually, he decided to go with the group to find Aeris.

"I still don't think that is a good idea," Sephiroth said.

"Agreed," Genesis said, then frowned as if he'd just realized he'd agreed with Sephiroth again. The Silver General couldn't help but smirk a little at that. Well, it was amusing.

They left the city (town?) and found the Tiny Bronco waiting for them. So if Aeris hadn't taken it, how would she get there? By walking? It was also kind of amazing ShinRa or someone else hadn't come along and taken it by now.

Game Insanity.

At least they knew exactly where to go this time and were up in the Northern Crater in only minutes (it would have been shorter had they not been forced to go down south and around the continents to get up there).

( _Insanity._ )

They went towards what looked like a half-buried, giant skeleton and ended up entering 'Bone Village'.

Sephiroth frowned. He'd been to the bone-digging sight in the game before and in real life. They hadn't made a _building_ out of an ancient skeleton. Not as far as he knew. Why would they do that?

"Do people actually and actively live or work inside of… _that_?" Genesis asked, gesturing to the screen with a hand.

The Silver General shook his head. "No. Not… yet," he said.

Genesis blinked at him. "You've been there?" Sephiroth nodded. The red-head looked back at the screen. "Does the world go utterly insane in the next five years?"

"It would seem so," Sephiroth said, deadpan.

It took them at least three digs and several minutes to find this Lunar Harp that would get them through the Sleeping Forest. Genesis suggested they just go into the Northern Forest. Angeal reminded him what happened the last time they went into something without preparing beforehand. Sephiroth thought he meant the swamp near the Chocobo farm, but apparently there had been problems with the Corel desert too.

Once they _finally_ found the Lunar Harp (although why anyone would just give something like that to Cloud for a couple hundred gill, he didn't know), they ventured into the Sleeping Forest at the north of the village.

Once they got inside the forest, all three of them tensed because it was the same forest Cloud had seen earlier, when speaking to Aeris.

"It wasn't just a dream, then," Genesis murmured. Sephiroth and Angeal both nodded. The silver-haired man thought it was just likely the game designers reusing the scene to cut the costs of making a new screen, but it was still foreboding.

They had Cloud walk towards the light and into the next area of the forest. Almost as soon as they entered, the screen went dark and the words 'The Sleeping Forest awoke…' appeared. Then something red moved on the side of the screen. Angeal must have seen it too because he walked over to have Cloud examine the area, but just as he did, the red appeared on the other side of the screen.

They spent far too long running around and trying to get what appeared to be a summon materia, but eventually they caught it… and indeed, it turned out to be the Kujata matera.

"I will be heading for the Sleeping Forest as soon as I can get a mission in that direction," Genesis stated.

Angeal rolled his eyes and Sephiroth just sighed. His love of materia, honestly.

Once they got past that part of the forest, they entered what looked to be a rocky valley of some kind, with broken logs fallen over gaps and treasure chests and various new monsters to fight, many of which Sephiroth had personally encountered before. He'd never had problems, but some of his men… those monsters could be nasty.

They came to a ridge of what could be stone or bone steps leading down into an even deeper – and likely settled – valley. After a moment of looking over the scene, they headed down the steps and ended up back on the world map, definitely in a valley (or perhaps, a canyon?) with a strange inverted cone at the end.

Angeal saved the game and then headed to the cone, which was, apparently, the Forgotten City.

They found themselves on the same stone/bone steps as before, heading towards the top of the screen. They followed the path and, almost immediately, came to a fork in the road.

"Which way should I go?" Angeal asked.

No one said anything for a second. Then Genesis shrugged and said, "Left."

"Why?" Sephiroth asked.

"No reason," Genesis replied.

Angeal shrugged and went left. They found what looked like old (if still very intact) houses, holding treasures and a save point. Then they followed the path further into a cave. Inside were verandas, walkways and stairs around a pit. In the center of the pit, a pillar rose with a large bowl shape on top covered in old growth around what looked like a large gem that glowed a bright blue. On the lower walkway, they found an aurora armlet. Quite the find.

They found nothing else in the cave and so went back out onto the path.

Making their way back to the Fork, Angeal stopped again.

"Which way now?" he asked.

"My guess is that the center path leads to our missing party member," Genesis said thoughtfully. "So I would go right. There could be more treasure down that way and it looks like there might be a fight soon."

There did tend to be more treasure and items found before a large fight, Sephiroth mused to himself.

"I agree," he said.

Angeal smiled, as if recognizing an inside joke of some kind, although Sephiroth wasn't sure what it could be. He also didn't really want to ask.

"Right it is," the brunet said, moving Cloud in that direction.

As the character on screen ran along another path, Genesis spoke up. "I must say, I am very impressed with the music in the game so far. It is obvious that the person writing it had little to work with – mainly midi sounds – but they have done a commendable job with what they have. Many of the songs could be truly amazing with some traditional instruments."

"It does set the scene well," Sephiroth agreed.

"Huh," Angeal said, "I didn't really notice, but now that you mention it…"

Genesis grinned. "I will make thespians out of you two yet."

Angeal snorted. Sephiroth just chuckled once and shook his head, although he had to concede that maybe – _just maybe_ – Genesis had a point when it came to the work put into a production. He recalled the segment in the ShinRa building when there had been a distinct silence and how unsettling it had been. While the people who made this seemed to have… problems telling the story they wanted to tell, their presentation of the emotion behind each scene was not one of them.

Genesis was indeed correct that they found more dwellings (made of enormous shells?) and more treasure inside them. They even found a place they could sleep. Useful in replenishing their MP and HP, although Sephiroth did think it a little idiotic for them to take a nap when they had to try and find Aeris before Game Sephiroth did.

Instead of them waking up in their beds, the screen faded back in to Cloud standing away from the beds, saying something about how he can 'feel it'.

"Feel what?" Angeal asked.

"Aeris' presence, perhaps?" Genesis asked.

Sephiroth didn't think so, but he didn't want to speculate on his own suspicions.

Barrett asked what Cloud meant, coming up behind him. Cloud told them that both Game Sephiroth and Aeris were there. Barrett wanted to know where. Tifa wanted to know how he knew. Sephiroth was glad she asked.

Cloud said he could feel it in his soul. Normally, Sephiroth wouldn't give a ridiculous comment like that a second thought, but here…

To their credit, Barrett and Tifa didn't question him. Instead, they insisted they go on as soon as possible to help Aeris.

"So of course they sleep first," Genesis said with a dramatic roll of his eyes.

Sephiroth and Angeal nodded in agreement.

They continued down the path. The game wouldn't let them take one of the next forks they came to, saying something about needing to save Aeris. Apparently she wasn't down that direction. The other leg led back to the cave, except on a higher ledge with a smaller pedestal in the center of an outcropping. Since they couldn't find anything else, it seemed like they would have to go back to the fork in the road.

Before they did so, Genesis insisted everyone have materia and the best weapons and armor available. They didn't know what they'd be facing, but this seemed like it would be the best they could do for now.

"Go back the other way and save it," Genesis suggested.

Angeal nodded and headed back down the left trail and to the save point.

Then they came back and took the center path, ignoring the red-head's comments of how 'predictable' it was.

The path led them through another cave and into a cavern. Light shone through holes at the top and illuminated a large, very spiky shell – even larger than some of the shell dwellings they'd seen before.

Angeal moved Cloud inside and up… where they came to a dead end with a comet materia. Yet another nice find. He quickly equipped it on Tifa and then went back down, looking for something they'd missed.

In the center of the shell appeared to be a relatively small hole with a blue path. They took it down and found Cloud on what appeared to be a floating staircase… made of force-fields or lights?

"What is that made of?" Sephiroth asked.

"The magic of the ancients," Genesis replied intently, eyes fixed on the screen as if he couldn't miss a second.

They followed the staircase down and into what looked like a crystal growth with three towers of varying heights in the middle, Sephiroth also made out some other structures.

They came upon another save point. Somehow, that just made the atmosphere more ominous.

Angeal saved the game, and then they continued down the stairs in front of them. They came to a ledge over water and several pillars sticking out of it, all leading towards what looked like a gazebo of some kind. Definitely a shielded platform. Cloud leapt onto the first one, and the camera panned over to the gazebo and they saw a figure, Aeris, inside and kneeling down. Was she praying?

Barrett walked up to the ledge, but Cloud waved him back.

"Oh, yes. Listen to the one who can be influenced by the crazed madman," Genesis scoffed. "Such a great idea." Then he looked over at Sephiroth. "No offense."

Sephiroth shot him a dry look. "That isn't me," he reminded his friend.

Instead of waving it off nonchalantly again, he looked Sephiroth in the eyes and nodded. "I know."

Sephiroth felt a little weight lift off his chest at that. He nodded once, firmly, and they turned back just in time to see Cloud reach the platform.

" _One is captured, one flies away, the one that remains becomes a hero,_ " Genesis said. It was a common line in the Loveless plays, even if it wasn't in the original text itself. "Of course, the hero has to go on alone to prove himself to be the hero," he went on dramatically, raising one hand in front of him, palm up, and placing the fingertips of the other on his chest. Then he snorted and let his hands fall onto his lap. "At least he's acting somewhat like a hero."

"Going off on his own, when he's obviously been compromised, does not seem heroic to me," Sephiroth said, eyes on the screen.

Genesis just hummed in response as Cloud approached Aeris.

The view switched to above and behind the kneeling woman as Cloud approached. Before he even stepped inside the area, though, the blond shook his head and the screen gained a red tint. The music changed to something more ominous.

"It would seem he is already there," the red-head said softly. He didn't need to clarify as to who 'he' was.

Angeal had Cloud walk forward slowly. When the blond reached the center of the circular area, he turned around, bent down and… a sword appeared in his hand.

"Move him away," Sephiroth said, urgently.

Angeal nodded and moved him towards the exit. Then Cloud stopped and turned back towards Aeris.

"Angeal?" Genesis asked.

"It won't move! Forward, backward… it's not moving!" he said, sounding frustrated. On the screen, Cloud seemed to be twitching, and slowly inching forward. He lifted his sword into a ready position.

"Angeal!" Sephiroth said. He didn't know why, but the idea of Cloud killing Aeris – even if they were only polygons on the screen – almost _frightened_ him.

Almost.

"He's still not responding!"

Cloud raised the sword over his head.

"Someone will come in and save her," Genesis said. "They have two other people there, after all."

And indeed, Barrett and Tifa yelled out for him to stop.

Thankfully, he did, backing away quickly and dropping the sword to one side.

'Ugh...What are you making me do?' he asked.

Just then, Aeris looked up from her hands, folded in front of her. It seemed she had been praying after all. Cloud blinked at her. She smiled at him.

The camera panned up.

A figure came crashing down.

Game Sephiroth, his coat flapping in the air as he shot downward, sword held out.

_No!_ Sephiroth thought, and heard Angeal yell the same thing aloud.

To no avail.

The on-screen Masamune thrust down…

Right through Aeris' chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Oh, come on, you knew it was going to end there. *hides away in her bunker anyway*
> 
> *Stress Shock – PTSD, aka Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, was, in modern terms, seen from soldiers who had come home from the war and still had serious problems because if it. It was one of many issues soldiers saw, but it was one of the more obvious. In the 1900's, especially after WWII, it was called 'Shell Shock' and no where near as defined as it is today. That being said, my beta and I both agree that it isn't unlikely for them to have a different term for it, and 'Stress Shock' was my favorite term. I doubt ShinRa is doing much about it, seeing as it's ShinRa and wouldn't know a healthy mental state if it came up to them and slapped them up the side of the head, so think of it as the less-defined definition of PTSD, if that makes any sense.
> 
> Thank you to Imagination7413 for the beta read!
> 
> You can come yell at me on discord: discord.gg/GPfDYy5ZPa


	20. Aeris' Death and the End of Disk 1

The three SOLDIERS stared at the screen, horrified, as Aeris' eyes closed and opened again, face falling into shock as she slumped forward, her head bobbing like a rag doll. Sephiroth didn't care about the lack of blood or how stiff the rest of her body seemed… He could only stare at the screen – at the game that somehow thought he would murder a defenseless girl, in front of one of her closest friends, and shake his head, denying what he was seeing.

Thumps like heartbeats sounded in the background as Game Sephiroth looked up, smug smile on his face. Then he slid the sword out and Aeris fell forward, her ribbon coming undone as she did. Something fell out of it, small and round and… white? Green? It fell in slow motion, bouncing once, twice, and then falling down onto the pillars and finally into the water as Aeris' song played in the background. The materia – for that is what it had to be – fell into the water and sank.

Meanwhile, Cloud rushed forward to catch Aeris as Game Sephiroth stood in the back, his hands upheld to each side and chin up, almost exultant. The blond shook Aeris, as if to wake her, but she didn't respond. He said it couldn't be real. Meanwhile, Game Sephiroth went on about how she would become part of the planet's energy. All that was left was to go north over the snowy fields to the Promised Land.

None of the observers commented, still staring, stunned, at the screen.

Game Sephiroth went on, but Cloud interrupted him, telling him to shut up. That his stupid plan didn't mean a thing.

"Where was that backbone before?" Genesis said, although his voice sounded a little weak.

Sephiroth still couldn't bring himself to do more than stare at the scene, let alone get his brain or mouth to work again.

Cloud went on to ask what anything meant because now Aeris was gone and wouldn't laugh, or cry, or get angry and what were they supposed to do? What was this pain? His mouth was dry, his fingers tingling, his eyes burning...

"An accurate portrayal of grief and shock," Genesis went on, sounding only marginally steadier.

Then Game Sephiroth slowly looked down at Cloud and lowered his arms.

Then he asked if Cloud was saying he had feelings now.

"Of course he does!" Angeal practically growled at the screen, the controller creaking in his grip.

Cloud agreed as he shot to his feet and turned around, obviously angry.

Game Sephiroth told him to stop acting as if he had emotions because he was… then he trailed off and shot into the air, vanishing seconds later. Something that looked like _another_ materia dropped behind him, and then they were thrown into a fight against another enormous monster. Jenova-LIFE. These people certainly did love their irony.

Also, Tifa and Barrett were there now. Just where had they been not minutes before?! This is what happened when people made stupid decisions – other people _died_.

And this was still a game! An accurate game – a potentially whistle-blowing game, but still a _game_! Even if this portrayed him in the worst light possible, it shouldn't make him _this_ angry!

Once Angeal finished the battle, the three game characters stood around Aeris' body. Barrett walked over, bowed to her, head curled down in grief. Then he stood, strode over to Cloud, placed a hand on his shoulder in an uncharacteristic show of silent support and awareness. Then he left.

Tifa walked over and knelt by her, brushing the corpse's hair out of her face. Then she stood, put a hand to her mouth, turned and ran down the stairs, leaving Cloud with the body of the flower girl. He made his way over, picked her up bridal style, then turned and marched after the other two. Then they all stood outside the spiky shell, in the lake around it as Cloud walked Aeris into the water.

The game again switched to a more rendered view of the group as he held her, eyes closed and head lolling to one side, in the water. He let her go, and stepped back, then watched as she sank… wait…

"Bodies don't sink," Angeal said with a frown. Well, it seemed he'd regained his voice as well.

"No, they don't," Genesis agreed. "Special water, perhaps?"

Angeal looked over, one brow raised in skepticism. "You're making excuses for this now?"

The red-head shot his old friend a dirty look and then turned back as Aeris continued to sink, her hair coming undone as she did, floating around her. She fell to the bottom and the screen faded to black. The music also faded off.

When the screen faded in again, Cloud, Tifa and Barrett stood in one of the shell-houses from before. Cloud wanted everyone to listen to him, and then stated his name, that he was an ex-SOLDIER from Nibelheim. He came to the Forgotten City to settle with Sephiroth.

How he stated his name, title and birthplace seemed… ominous, to the Silver General.

Tifa asked what was going on.

Cloud went on to say he'd come there of his own free will… or so he'd thought. He said that in honesty, he'd been afraid of himself – that there was a part of himself he didn't understand. That was the part that had given the Black Materia to Game Sephiroth. That if they hadn't stopped him, Cloud may have killed Aeris himself. Then he stated that there was someone inside of him… who wasn't really him.

" _My friend, the fates are cruel,_ " Genesis said softly. _"No dreams, no honor remains. The Arrow has left the bow of the Goddess."_

No one else said anything as Cloud turned back around to face his two companions, saying that was why he should quit – before he did something terrible.

Sephiroth wasn't sure what to think of that. On one hand, Cloud was compromised. On the other, quitting had never sat well with him. Of course, neither did killing innocent, unarmed girls while they were praying. His mind was a little too distracted to really come to a conclusion about whether Cloud should go or stay at this point.

Cloud had already done terrible things, though. And apparently he realized that, because he said he was going on anyway. That Game Sephiroth destroyed his home town, killed Aeris, and was trying to destroy the planet.

Then he said he could never forgive Sephiroth.

The Silver General stood. If he didn't do something, he may very well break his table. Breaking things in his apartment didn't strike him as the best way to deal with… everything. Angeal and Genesis looked over to him, although he couldn't see their expressions out of the corner of his eye. His gaze remained locked on his name sitting there on the screen, accusing him.

"Sephiroth?" Angeal asked cautiously.

The silver-haired man just turned and began to pace along the side of the room, trying to get his thoughts in order.

"We need to stop," the brunet finally said.

For once, Sephiroth didn't argue.

"We need to get to a save point," Genesis pointed out, "or we will have to watch _that_ all over again."

The Silver General paused in his stride at that, but still didn't say anything. Angeal handed the controller over to Genesis.

"Keep going," he said softly, then got up and approached Sephiroth. He didn't say anything, but he didn't focus on the game again, instead locking his gaze onto his friend as he took a seat on the arm of the couch.

"Will you be alright?" he asked.

Sephiroth didn't know. He didn't know, but he didn't want to say that aloud. Not in front of the both of them… or at all, really. He didn't know what to say, what to think, what to feel…

His non-answer must have worried them because Angeal's brow furrowed and Genesis' lips thinned.

"Keep playing," he finally said.

"Sephiroth," Angeal started, but cut off at the look he got in response.

"I don't want to see that again," he said.

The brunet's brow furrowed harder and he looked like he wanted to protest, but Genesis spoke up.

"Very well," he said. "I will inform you of what is going on."

Sephiroth appreciated that. Angeal didn't look pleased, but again, he didn't say anything, instead folding his arms and keeping his gaze on his pacing friend.

"He asks everyone to come with him," Genesis said.

The Silver General nodded, as did Angeal.

"To save him from doing something terrible," the red-head continued with a scoff.

Sephiroth clenched his hand and turned, pacing the length of the room again.

"They are unsure, naturally," Genesis said. "But Cloud says they still have a chance to finish Aeris' work and get the Black Materia back. He's telling them to go… and… that's it."

The other two SOLDIERS looked over at the screen, just catching it as it faded to black. Then words appeared across the screen.

'End part 1. Insert Disk 2.'

Sephiroth felt his eyebrows rise in surprise. They were only one third of the way through the story line? Presuming the other two disks were part of the story and not something else, like extras.

He wasn't sure he could take two more disks of this. Not right now. He hated that. It made him feel weak.

"It said I could save it, but as I am unsure as to how this transition should go, I believe we should play on until we come to a save point on the next disk," Genesis said, still surprisingly calm. Sephiroth couldn't tell if it was one of his facades or if he really was somehow managing to be calm.

Sephiroth clenched his teeth, but nodded at the red-head, then went back to pacing. After a couple of seconds, he heard Genesis get up and shuffle around, changing the disks, then go to sit back down. Sephiroth glanced over at the screen to see it fade back into the forgotten city with Cloud standing in the doorway of one of the houses.

He looked away again as Genesis moved Cloud along the path. His friend must have realized it because he began narrating again.

"Tifa is wondering which way Sephiroth went. Cloud… is holding his head and sees a shadow of… Game Sephiroth's moving along the pathway towards the top of the screen. He's saying to go that way, head North, past the Snow Fields… are they heading towards the Northern Crater?"

Sephiroth didn't particularly care at this point.

"I'm heading that way," Genesis said after a few moments of relative quiet.

He spoke again after a few moments. "It looks as if I have come across another area of travel, treasure and fighting, so probably nothing very important to the story."

Good. Sephiroth just wanted to save the stupid thing and be done with it.

The fight music came on and Sephiroth found he could appreciate the normalcy of it. For the game, in any case. The game moved on, just as life did…

He still hated it.

Then the victory theme sounded, and Genesis continued. "It is having me run down the outside of the giant shell I just ran up the inside of," he said, annoyed.

The music changed suddenly.

"I entered a cave," Genesis said slowly. "And… apparently he can now climb up the sides of the walls in certain places, despite never being able to climb before when it made sense or even jump except at certain places."

Sephiroth appreciated the sarcasm dripping from his voice. More normalcy. And was it just him, or did Genesis sound particularly vindictive.

He supposed he should count himself lucky that he hadn't lost any furniture due to their reactions to the game.

More silence from the SOLDIERS and the new music interspersed with the battle music. Then Angeal spoke.

"Go down. There's probably something at the bottom." Sephiroth glanced over to see Cloud jump onto what looked like a ladder. What on Gaia was a ladder doing in a cave here?

"This is ridiculous," Genesis said, but he did climb down… and found more materia. "Completely ridiculous."

And apparently the entire cave was littered with treasures. Genesis had, begrudgingly, gotten them all and moved on to find even _more_ treasure boxes.

"Why is everything in a treasure box?" Angeal asked. "That's not how real life works."

"An excellent point," Genesis commented as he went to fight another battle.

Once he'd won and run outside, Sephiroth almost breathed a sigh of relief as they had appeared back on the world map screen.

Practically reading his mind, Genesis quickly saved the game. Then he looked over at Angeal.

"Do I simply turn it off?"

One corner of Angeal's mouth moved towards the opposite side of his face as he contemplated. "As far as I know," he said.

Genesis stood and moved in front of the screen, his hand hovering over the power button. Then he hit it and the screen went dark, still showing a little light and buzzing, but otherwise remaining black. Then the red-clad man hit the power button on the screen and the apartment fell into an uneasy silence that felt, somehow, too still.

Sephiroth went back to pacing.

"We know you would never do that," Angeal said after a few moments.

Sephiroth appreciated that, he did, but he… wasn't so sure he wouldn't. Not anymore. Amazing what could make one question so much of themselves.

"It… isn't merely that," he finally said, voice tight. He took another couple of steps – another couple of breaths – and then went on. "It is the fact that… _they_ think so."

"Whoever ' _they_ ' is," Genesis said, voice low and serious.

Sephiroth paused and then saw the notebook he'd had before. He'd taken the occasional note, but now… perhaps it would help to get his thoughts down on paper, even if he had a hyperthymesia, or a nigh-perfect memory. It could offer a new perspective and make sure Angeal and Genesis were on the same page as him. He walked over and lifted the bound paper, flipping to a new page and picking up the pen near him.

"That is indeed the question," Sephiroth said. "We need to find out who this company – this...," he looked at the game cover. It had the name of the game station written on the side as well as its logo, a picture of Cloud from behind and below, holding his sword on his back as he looked up at a simplified version of the ShinRa building. At the bottom, it had a word that could only be the name of a company, "...Squaresoft is."

He wrote that down at the top.

"We have to find out who the mole is," Angeal said once he'd finished. "It has to be someone very high up. One of the heads or a Senior Turk would be my guess."

Sephiroth nodded and wrote that down.

"Then we have… quite a few things to check, starting with the Nibelheim Reactor."

The Silver General nodded and wrote that down as well. "Which one of you is going, then?" he asked.

Silence.

He glanced up and saw both of his friends watching him closely.

"It must be one of you," he insisted. The 'just in case' he would never actually say still seemed awfully loud to him.

Angeal's lips thinned into a line, but then he spoke with a firm nod. "I'll go, and I'll take Zack with me. We can check on Cid and the rocket, Shera and the Tiny Bronco. If I'm lucky I may even be able to head to Cosmo Canyon and speak with Bugenhagen or find Nanaki."

Sephiroth nodded. A sound idea. Zack was still a SOLDIER Third, but it would be a good idea to have backup, and no one would question Angeal taking his protege. He wrote that down then looked up at Genesis.

"I told you I'm going north," the red-head said, voice dry with a forced nonchalance that almost hid the man's underlying tension. Almost. "I'll look for a mission to that area as soon as possible. I will be looking for that Lunar Harp, the materia in the area, of course, the Forgotten City itself, etc."

Sephiroth nodded and wrote that down. Then he frowned down at the paper.

"That leaves me to check up on the local issues…" of which there were quite a few. Firstly, he wanted to speak with the Cadet Cloud Strife and interrogate him. He already had a list of questions in mind. He also wanted to do some hacking into the Science Department computers and see what he could find. Hojo… may not be coming out of this alive.

"I will head over to the chocobo farms by the swamp and see if I can find anything about 'Choco-Bill' and his family. I can also check the swamp for the Zolom. I don't think I will be able to make it to Junon, though."

Angeal spoke up again. "Zack and I will likely stop there on our way to the Western Continent. There isn't much to check in the actual city, but I should be able to get under the plate there at least. We won't be able to look around too much, but a glance or two should be able to tell us what we need to know."

Sephiroth nodded and jotted that down as well.

"I will compile a list of everything we need to look into today and we can meet together tonight and divvy them."

The other two nodded, although Angeal looked as if he had something on his mind. Then he said, "Are we going to bring Zack or this… Cloud in on this? What about the Turks?" Then he glanced at Genesis. "The jammer is still working, right?"

Genesis looked at the device and picked it up. "It is, but I will need to recharge it soon."

The other two SOLDIERS nodded.

"The fact that it lasted this long is impressive. Where did you get it?"

"I requisitioned it from Tuesti, actually. For above board purposes, of course. Then, tragically, I lost it on one of my missions."

For the first time in what felt like a very long time (but was likely only a couple of hours), Sephiroth felt his lips twitch in amusement. Angeal outright grinned and shook his head while Genesis just sat there looking smug.

"Speaking of," Genesis went on, although his voice had sobered considerably, "are we going to be looking into the board members?"

Sephiroth felt any mirth vanish as if made of smoke. "I will be looking into Hojo immediately… myself. As for the others, they will likely be on the list tonight."

"We probably shouldn't look into everything immediately," Angeal said, suddenly on edge. "It might tip off the Turks or, well, anyone, to the fact that something isn't right. We don't know what we're going to find, so we need to do all of our work and stick to our normal schedules as much as possible. We can't just jump into everything unless we plan on ousting ourselves immediately."

Sephiroth nodded, conceding the point as much as he hated to admit it.

"So we go looking for normal missions today," Angeal went on, "things we would normally do, and only look in and above anything else when we have free time, and even then, we should be cautious."

"If that is the case, then we have…" Genesis looked down at this watch, "fourteen minutes until we will be late to our morning physical practice."

Angeal and Sephiroth both took out their PHSes and saw the time. 6:16 AM.

"Well," Angeal said, standing up. "Then I suggest we hurry."

The other two agreed.

"I would request that we all clean up," Sephiroth said, gesturing to his… rather cluttered receiving room. The other two looked around at the mess. Genesis protested almost immediately, but Angeal just smacked his arm and began to pick everything up. Grumbling, the red-head joined in and the three of them tidied up. Sephiroth made a note to take his garbage bins out. Many neared overflowing for the first time that he could remember.

Seven minutes later, the other two left his apartment and quickly made their way to their own quarters to freshen up a little before heading to the gym. Sephiroth rarely took showers before his morning exercise, so he didn't have much to do except change his clothes into something cleaner. The same black pants, the same skin-showing undershirt that was closer to a vest (partially because he liked the feel of the air on his skin there, and partially because the PR team said it attracted good attention) that kept his coat from absorbing dirt and sweat too quickly, a fast protein shake for breakfast and he was out the door at 6:27, just enough time to make it to the gym he liked to use.

Unsurprisingly, he was the first one there. At 6:32, Genesis strode through the door as if he owned the building and came over to Sephiroth, who had been stretching. Without a word, the red-head joined him. Five minutes after that, Angeal came through the door, giant sword strapped to his back as usual. More unusual was the frown on his face as he looked at his PHS.

The other two paused in their stretches as Angeal flipped said phs shut and then put it in his pocket, still looking troubled.

"What's wrong?" Sephiroth asked.

Angeal blinked as if realizing he wasn't alone for the first time. "It's nothing, I'm sure," he said, trying to be dismissive and failing miserably.

Genesis and Sephiroth exchanged glances.

Then Genesis, being Genesis, quoted Loveless. _"_ _My friend, d_ _o you fly away now?_ _To a world that abhors you and I_?"

Angeal blinked, looked back and forth between the two of them, then slumped, a small smile on his face. "It's just that as soon as I opened my phone, I got a lot of missed calls from Zack and several missed texts. No voice messages, though, and the texts ask me if I'm feeling okay, if you're feeling okay, if Sephiroth is feeling okay… He's empathetic, but this is unusual, even for him. I immediately texted him back. Zack usually responds as soon as I text him, but he hasn't yet. That's all. It could be something as simple as him leaving his phs in his room or maybe he forgot to charge it yesterday as he had the day off and it broke his routine.

"He knows when practice is. If he doesn't show up, I'll go looking for him, but knowing Zack, it likely isn't anything major. He probably just heard a rumor and got overly excited or worried. He does that. I think I'm just… on edge after…" he faded off and gestured back the way he'd come. Sephiroth and Genesis both nodded, understanding. Unfortunately, they were back to having to watch their words. He was glad Angeal had remembered.

"I really should introduce him to you," the brunet continued as he set his sword to the side and joined his fellow SOLDIERS. "I didn't want to overwhelm him at first, and I know how excitable he can be, but now, I think that would be a good idea."

Sephiroth nodded again. "I look forward to meeting him."

"You've practically told us everything about him," Genesis scoffed. "In my opinion, we already know him."

"But he doesn't know you," Angeal replied, falling into his familiar banter easily. He grunted as he stretched his legs out to the side as far as they could go. "Please don't be too cruel to him."

Genesis scoffed. "If he can't handle a little riling, then you've been exaggerating about his character."

Angeal sighed. "Genesis…" he said.

"He will behave himself," Sephiroth said.

Genesis just scoffed.

Then Sephiroth stood, called his sword to him and turned towards the other two. "We often work on our own, but today, I would like to spar… if you think you can hold yourself back enough to not destroy the room."

The red-head looked genuinely offended. Angeal just gave a small, but razor-sharp smile. Sephiroth returned it. He really needed this. Thankfully, they seemed to know how badly and were likely looking forward to their own release too.

"I will wait until you're ready."

The other two rose to their feet, then exchanged a glance and charged.

They lost themselves in battle. It was a release they sorely needed.

Half an hour later, they all breathed hard, undoubtedly feeling much better. They… may not have held back as much as Sephiroth had wished, but he didn't mind. He'd pay for the repairs if he had to. After a few minutes of just being there with his friends and enjoying their company, he walked to the center of the room and began his cool-down kata routine – one he'd learned from a Wutaian instructor years ago, long before the war.

A little ways away, Genesis began his own cool-down routine as did Angeal. They still didn't speak, but then, they didn't need to.

At 6:45, they all walked out and headed back to their rooms to shower. It had been a short morning session, but it had also been enough for today. At seven, they would all set off to their own areas to begin their morning duties. They'd meet in the commissary at eight as usual.

Despite having spent all night with his friends, he was looking forward to it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I hope it wasn't disappointing that nothing got broken, but I think seeing these three young but war-hardened SOLDIERS go into shock is a bit more powerful. Too powerful for a reaction to the game? Thoughts? Ideas? Let me know. I'd love to hear what you think. Just please be respectful.
> 
> So, I have an embarrassment of riches this time around. One of my discord watchers let her children read my fic and not only has the term 'game insanity' been adapted into their vocabulary (SO MUCH LUV), but her youngest drew me art! Admittedly, it is based on another picture she saw, but I'm still so touched and honored.
> 
> media.discordapp.net/attachments/770755076515561483/793987548317220905/image0.jpg?width=436&height=582
> 
> media.discordapp.net/attachments/770755076515561483/794090081723482122/image0.jpg?width=436&height=582
> 
> SO MUCH LUV.
> 
> Also, a continuation from my favorite Advanced Release comics!
> 
> The first part (already posted, but for a brush up): sta.sh/0o4z8uo07r6 
> 
> The second part: sta.sh/0e5lnonl950 
> 
> I absolutely LOVE THESE so much, I can't even... *dies* *with stars in eyes*
> 
> And finally, a funny little piece that went down a bit of a crack train when one of my discord peeps said he couldn't draw except stick figures. I told him that was fine, and we'd been discussing the very crackish idea (that won't happen in the fic, but it was still funny) of Sephiroth showing up with Aerith and somehow it devolved into him hugging her. So she's utterly confused and he's just sorry... but yeah, not exactly the tone I'm going for, but man it caused some great laughs. So here's that:
> 
> https://i.imgur.com/mpWDEAQ.png
> 
> I greatly love and appreciate all fan-art and am honored that people want to draw for my story.
> 
> If anyone else has pictures they'd like to show me you can either send me a pm with spaces and all the periods as., or you can check out DAsObiQuiet on AO3 and drop me a link in a comment on Advanced Release (or any of my other stories) over there.
> 
> You can also join my discord at: **discord.gg/vFmPXjd4nr** It's a great community, not super busy but enough that there are great discussions, workshops, places for ideas and art, some feedback and a heck-ton of geeking out. Also memes... because memes. Would love to see you there!
> 
> Hope you had a wonderful New Years! Bring on 2021 and let it be better than 2020! Woo hoo!


	21. Missing Puppy

Sephiroth stopped at the door to his office, looking in, and didn't sigh. It was a near thing. The paperwork stacked on his desk…. He'd known it would be bad, but seeing the messy pile, several inches tall was something else. He wasn't in charge of SOLDIER, that was Lazard's job and in all honesty, the man could have it. Sephiroth had to see the people on the board far too often as it was. But he was still the head of SOLDIER, the "Silver General" and the face of the program. He had to review all promotions within SOLDIER, go over the cadets applying for SOLDIER, set up drill exercises for the different groups of SOLDIER, collaboration times and combined training exercises, disciplinary actions, etc. Normally, he got through his paperwork in an hour or two and would then go to speak with who he needed to or oversee some of the training. This… would likely take him several hours, if not the entire day.

He saw the use of it, but he still hated paperwork.

Steeling himself for the long day ahead, he walked over to the chair behind his desk and began to sort the pile. That alone would probably take all the time he had before he went to breakfast, but would be a productive use of said time. He began to sort the stacks into three piles: those that needed to be reviewed by him and then sent to Lazard, those that he could deal with personally and didn't need to be sent on, and finally, those that had somehow ended up on his desk when they could have been handled by a lower ranked SOLDIER instead. Sadly, that last pile was inevitable, no matter how many times he addressed the problem.

He'd gotten about half-way through his sorting when his PHS chirped at him. Frowning, he looked down and reached into his pants pocket. It was a message from Angeal asking if he had any ideas as to where Zack could be. Why would Angeal ask that? Sephiroth hadn't even actually met the boy. Overheard him, yes. Caught sight of him, absolutely. But there weren't any training exercises scheduled this early in the morning, so if he wasn't at breakfast, he could be anywhere. Frowning, Sephiroth responded that no, he didn't know anything about Zachary, but that he'd keep an eye out and asked his friend to keep him updated.

Angeal didn't respond.

Half an hour later, Sephiroth had actually been able to make a start on some of the more easily addressed paperwork and had just dropped off the pile of 'return to (various subordinate)' to Lazard's secretary, who was more than willing to take the stack and distribute it accordingly. He strode down the hall and into the dining room, eyes scanning for Genesis' shock of ginger hair or Angeal's buster.

He found the former pretty easily and nodded to his friend as he walked to the counter to pick up his meal. Their second day in a row at the regular SOLDIER dining room. He made sure to brace himself for potential fans approaching them. It was the main reason he didn't eat in the room more than once a week. If they were lucky, the younger SOLDIERS would still be too intimidated to approach them. He liked speaking with the people he led, but only when they didn't make it a point to stutter with star-struck eyes or try to 'cozy in' with their 'lazy, power-hungry drives', as Genesis liked to say.

Sephiroth set his tray, filled with nutritional, if tasteless, food on the table and began to eat.

"I thought I would be the last here," he commented, eyes darting to the other empty chairs around the circular table.

"Finishing up work, I assume," Genesis said, taking a drink of milk from his small carton.

The silver-haired man nodded.

"Well, I assume Angeal is still looking for his little, lost puppy."

Sephiroth frowned. He hadn't heard anything from their friend, so Genesis was likely right. Angeal rarely forgot to update them.

They ate in relative silence for a couple of minutes, neither wanting to bring up any particular subjects without the third member of their group.

Finally, Genesis seemed to have had enough because he cleared his throat and sat forward. "I filled out all the paperwork for fixing the gym from this morning," he said.

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow in surprise. That was… terribly nice for Genesis.

"It should come across your desk later today, I assume," he said with a knowing grin.

The Silver General's expression fell flat. Still, it was paperwork he wouldn't have to actually fill out himself, so there was that, he supposed.

"It is appreciated," he finally said.

"I also signed up for some missions."

The only sign that Sephiroth caught the subtext was his pause as he lifted a bite of food to eat.

"Oh?" he asked casually, then put the fork-full into his mouth.

"Yes. Next week, I will be heading to the Northern Continent on request from the Bone Village excavation site. Apparently, they've had problems with monsters wandering in from the local forest."

That… was a little _too_ convenient. He gave Genesis a long look, wondering if the other man had falsified a mission himself. In the end, it didn't really matter, he supposed. They were planning on telling the Turks eventually anyway. If they told Veld or Tseng about the game now, though, they'd never see it – or the information it held – again. Hopefully, they would be able to finish the game before they handed it over. If they happened to have to do so a little early because the Turks found out, though, they would. They already had a good deal of information they needed to check. It would just not be ideal.

Sephiroth opened his mouth to respond, but cut himself off when he saw Angeal hurry in, not quite running but not walking leisurely either. He paused only for a moment to scan the lunchroom, much as Sephiroth had done, and his eyes landed on the two of them easily. He hurried directly over to their table.

"Genesis, Sephiroth," he said as he sat down, grabbing the handle of his buster sword and pulling it so as to allow him to sit in the chair almost absentmindedly. "I still can't find Zack."

The two SOLDIERS already at the table exchanged glances. "Has he put in for another day off?" Sephiroth asked.

Angeal shook his head. "No, I checked. I even stopped by his room to see if he's just slept in. His roommate, Luxiere, was still there and said he'd seen Zack yesterday after dinner. He hadn't come to dinner because he was in his room resting and playing video games."

"The irony," Genesis mused.

Angeal nodded. "It's probably the only way we could keep him in bed. I'm not surprised. But because he didn't come to dinner, Luxiere took him some food."

"Oh, he broke regulations, I already like that one," the red-head said with a smirk.

The larger SOLDIER rolled his eyes and shook his head. "In any case, Luxiere had some missions that ran later than usual. He got back well after dark and said Zack wasn't there when he returned. He assumed Zack had gone on a mission or some night training or something, but I looked. He hasn't."

"Have you checked the infirmary?" Sephiroth asked. "Perhaps he re-injured himself."

Angeal's eyes widened. "No… I… thank you, Sephiroth. I'll go check now."

"No," Genesis said, reaching over and grabbing his friend's arm before he could leave. Angeal stopped and looked back, disapproving frown on his face. Genesis didn't falter. "You need to eat something. If your puppy is in the infirmary, then having a good meal won't hurt you or him. If not, you'll need your strength to keep looking."

Sephiroth was impressed. He didn't think Genesis was self-aware enough to actively intervene and urge his friend to take care of himself. Then again, when Angeal fixated on an idea, it was difficult to sway him, even for Sephiroth.

The brunet looked as if he was about to protest, but eventually just sighed and deflated. Then he reached over his shoulder, took off his buster and leaned it against the table.

"Fine. I'll be right back" he said, then strode over towards the window where they served food.

"I'm surprised you got him to stay," Sephiroth said.

Genesis shrugged, just finishing his own meal. "I've known him since we were children. If you interrupt his laser focus to make him stop for a little, he usually calms down enough to think rationally."

"Hmm," Sephiroth responded and filed that away under 'potentially useful information'.

Angeal came back to the table quickly, set the tray down, and practically shoveled the food into his mouth, as politely as possible of course. As he did so, Genesis informed him of his upcoming mission to the Northern Crater. Angeal slowed his eating a little to think about that, but ultimately only nodded and continued to consume his meal.

Genesis and Sephiroth exchanged glances, then the former sighed. "I need to stop by the labs and see if there is any new materia to test out before my mission. Text if you need anything."

The other two SOLDIERS nodded as the red-head left. Sephiroth and Angeal continued to eat, finishing their respective meals at about the same time.

"I need to return to work," the silver-haired man said as he went to stand.

"Sephiroth," Angeal said, quietly but urgently.

The other SOLDIER paused. "What is it?"

The brunet looked down, troubled. "What if one of the scientists got him?"

Sephiroth paused for a moment. That… wasn't completely impossible, but…

"Unlikely," he finally said.

Angeal blinked, surprised. "Why?"

Sephiroth shrugged. "They know you would move Heaven and Earth to get to him, and where you go, Genesis and I won't be far behind. I doubt they'd be stupid enough to alienate their top three SOLDIERs all at once."

The brunet blinked, then visibly relaxed, a small smile on his lips. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right. Thank you, Sephiroth." Likely for more than just the reassurance, but the proclamation that if ShinRa had been that stupid, that they'd support him.

"You'll find him, and I'm sure he'll be fine before you put him through the workout of his life," Sephiroth reassured. Funny, even a week ago that wouldn't have even occurred to him to say. Now it felt… natural. Amazing what a couple of nights of 'hanging out' could do.

The game's revelations probably helped there too, as much as he hated to admit it.

"Right," Angeal responded, sounding more sure. "I will. Thank you, again, Sephiroth. I'm off to check the infirmary."

"If you still cannot find him later today, inform me. I'll… look into it _personally_." In other words, he'd hack the system if he had to. The other SOLDIER blinked up at him from his seat, then he smiled, something larger and more real than he'd seen all morning.

"I'll let you know what I find, then."

Sephiroth nodded, then took his tray back to the window where workers took it and dumped his used disposables in the garbage. Angeal came right behind him. They marched out of the cafeteria and towards the elevators without so much as a word, then nodded as they parted ways.

Five minutes later, Sephiroth found himself in the regrettable position of starting on the pile of paperwork he'd have to give to Lazard.

xXx

Two hours later, a very stoic Angeal and a grim but thoughtful Genesis strode into his office. The Silver General looked up and raised an eyebrow in their direction. The red-head didn't respond, but Angeal just shook his head, mouth tight and eyes hard.

So, they hadn't found him.

Sephiroth looked to Genesis and cleared his throat. The Commander blinked and met his gaze. Sephiroth tapped his ear and Genesis nodded, taking out the jammer from before and flipping it on. Once he checked to make sure it was working correctly, he nodded to the Silver General.

"I've looked everywhere," Angeal finally said. "This isn't like Zack. He may seem carefree to a point of carelessness sometimes, but in truth he's actually almost meticulous about filling out paperwork and following the rules."

He sighed and reached into his pocket, pulling out a phs. "That's Zack's," he said as he set the phs on the desk. "I stopped by his room again and found this charging on his night-stand."

"You didn't notice it before?" Sephiroth asked.

"I never stepped into the room earlier this morning," Angeal said. "It's part of why I went back. His roommate told me he was gone and so I continued my search. This time I looked under his bed, in his closet… I didn't actually rifle through anything, just a quick glance to make sure he wasn't hiding from me or something."

"Why would he hide from you?" Genesis said, turning to him in surprise.

Angeal shook his head. "I don't know. But I prefer him hiding from me as some sort of prank or misguided fear than… other options."

Sephiroth frowned. "You still think the Science department got him."

The brunet began to pace, running a hand through his hair. Sephiroth hadn't seen him this flustered in a very long time. Of course, he'd wanted to check up on his student since the disturbing revelation from the game. Naturally he'd jump to the worst conclusion.

"I don't know," the larger SOLDIER said. "I certainly don't _want_ to believe it but… I don't know what else could have possibly happened to him."

Sephiroth sat back in his chair, contemplating.

"I was going to hack into the Science Department later today, but I suppose I can move that up. We can double check."

Angeal paused and the Silver General could hear him grinding his teeth before he turned and nodded at Sephiroth.

"I need to know."

The General sighed. "Very well." He flipped on the computer so it could begin it's boot process while he set the rest of the papers aside and put the various office tools away. He still had at least half the stack to go, but this was far more important. Meanwhile, Angeal went back to pacing and Genesis kept quiet, thinking about something if the way his hand cupped his jaw was anything to go by.

Sephiroth logged in and had just begun to pull up all of the programs he'd need (it took him far too long, he hadn't done this in years – would he even be able to?) when a ring-tone interrupted them. Angeal jumped a little (Genesis snickered at that, but the brunet ignored him) before he reached into his pocket and pulled out a second phs, presumably his own.

"Hewley," he said, tone clipped. Then his eyes widened. "Aerith?"

Sephiroth focused his listening on the voice. He could hear it with his enhanced hearing if he tried, although he normally tried to give people their privacy, but his curiosity got the better of him this time.

" _I found your… puppy. He's at my church._ "

She sounded so young, and Sephiroth could hear worry and amusement in her unsure voice. More worry if he had to make a guess.

" _I'll leave him here for you to come and find. I have people around me who wouldn't take well to me approaching stray dogs."_ A protest from somewhere behind her, and she giggled. _"I forgot something at home and it'll probably take me a good hour and a half to get there and back here."_ A pause and when she spoke again, her voice was almost inaudible. " _He's… not well. You should bring your friends who can help to handle him. I think that would make him very happy. You have two of them, right?_ "

Angeal blinked. "Right."

Her voice returned to normal. _"Then you should probably bring them, but no one else. We don't want anyone to get hurt, and he's just the cutest puppy."_ A pause, and then another giggle.

The brunet SOLDIER let out a sigh and his shoulders slumped. "Thank you for letting me know. _"_

" _Well, it's not like he can call you. He doesn't exactly have a phs. I'm sure he feels badly about that._ "

This time it was Angeal's turn to chuckle. "I'll be down in half an hour. You go on your way and be safe."

" _Right_ ," she responded, sounding firmer than she had for the entire conversation. _"You have a good day, Mr. Angeal. And good luck with your puppy_."

Angeal smiled and hung up. Then he turned to look at his friends, neither of whom were even putting up the pretense of not eavesdropping.

He sighed. "Well, it looks like I'm commandeering your lunches. If Zack asked you to come, he probably has a good reason. Will you join me?"

Sephiroth glanced over at Genesis, who nodded emphatically.

"Very well," the Silver General said as he rose and turned his computer off again. This was something he'd been wanting to see for himself anyway.

xXx

Zack watched as Aerith hung up the call. She had such an old-fashioned phs, he was surprised it still worked at all. He gave it a couple of months (tops) before it died permanently or wasn't supported anymore. He was glad it worked now, though.

She turned and smiled at him. "Well, your 'owner' is on his way."

Zack huffed and folded his arms. "He's not my owner. He's my mentor."

Aerith giggled, and for a moment, he didn't see the girl in front of him, but the girl from the game – just a little older, just a little bolder but every bit as sweet. He could see why the game said he'd fallen for her…

But that thought brought him back to reality and he looked away. This wasn't the game. This girl barely knew him. Even coming here had likely put her in danger. _Not cool, Zack_ , he thought to himself.

She must have sensed something was off because her smile disappeared, replaced with something more troubled.

"Will you be alright?" she asked.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. He could see why the game said he'd change that too. He liked the spiky hairstyle. It felt upbeat and energetic. But maybe that wasn't what he needed right now. He needed to be focused and disciplined.

"Yeah. I… I will be."

She frowned and looked like she wanted to say something, but ultimately just nodded timidly.

He studied her again, noting the awkward atmosphere, and felt even more guilty.

"Look, I'm sorry for showing up here. I didn't want to put you in danger."

She blinked. "I think you put yourself in more danger than me," she said as she put her phs away in the pale yellow sundress.

She looked better in pink.

He shook that thought from his head. "No, coming here… it wasn't fair of me." In so many ways. He felt like he already knew so much about her, but that wasn't fair at all. He had no idea if the game had been right. He had no idea why someone would try focusing on a random girl in the slums to be his girlfriend either.

Ugh, this was just such a mess all the way around.

All because of a stupid game.

He'd been so excited too. He'd starred in a game, after all! But… it hadn't been a nice game. And that ending…

He shook his head again, not wanting to think about it.

"You'd better get going, before the Turks come in," he heard himself say.

"And then they'll see you here and I'll just tell them you're my bodyguard."

Zack blinked. That… sounded a lot more like the girl from the game than the girl he'd met the previous night.

She must have misinterpreted his surprise because she almost immediately backed down. "Or not, I suppose."

He quickly put his hands out and waved them frantically. "No! I'd love to be!"

She looked up, her cheeks a little red, which caused Zack to think back on his words and blush. "I-I mean, anyone would love to be a bodyguard to a pretty girl like you."

When in doubt, compliment.

Somehow, it felt more like his usual go-to had backfired on him when she blushed harder and giggled shyly. Gah, she was _so cute_!

No, he couldn't think of that now. He wasn't sure if he could think of that ever at this point.

"I promise, I'll be fine. I'll wait here for Angeal and I can take care of myself until then." He flexed his arm, posing in an attempt to get her to laugh and reassure her. Apparently, he couldn't help it.

It worked, as she giggled again.

"Alright. I'll leave you here, _this once_." With that, she turned on her heel and began to stride towards the door. Just as she put her hand on the door handle, she paused and looked back at him. "You're always welcome here. It's a place of peace. I wouldn't be a very nice person if I kept that to myself, would I?"

Zack found himself smiling, albeit a little sadly. "I don't think you have a mean bone in your body."

She outright laughed this time. He really liked that sound. "I didn't realize it would be so easy to fool a SOLDIER."

Zack snorted a laugh himself and felt better for it. Not that anything had been fixed, but it had lifted his spirits. It struck him as to how right his mother had been when she said laughter healed.

"I hope to see you again," Aerith said, then opened the door and stepped outside.

The brunet watched the door close and then stared after her for several seconds. Then his smile fell and he collapsed back onto the bench he'd been sleeping on all night. Then he groaned and tipped over onto his side, laying down again. Angeal would be coming soon. He'd likely be bringing Genesis and Sephiroth to meet him.

He groaned again and turned his body to face the back of the bench. Maybe he could go back to sleep until they got there. That sounded very appealing. And then maybe his mind and all the revelations from the game wouldn't keep haunting him.

Hey, he could hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Would like to thank Imagination7413 for all their help with this! Thank you so much!
> 
> Also, part of the reason why I've been able to keep this going for so long is because of the people in my Discord who help me through blocks, so thank you to everyone on my Discord. Especially lately as I've been having trouble due to depression because of the crap going on in my country on top of covid. Stupid depression. In any case, please let me know what you think!
> 
> discord dot gg /PChdnmNEc5 (no spaces, dot to . )


	22. Finding Zack

Sephiroth couldn't help but be a bit surprised when Angeal got lost. In his defense, when Genesis teased him about it, the brunet reminded them that he and Zack had been fighting in the slums for a couple of hours the other day, and while he'd kept an eye out for the church, it had taken a bit of searching to actually find it, especially seeing as the part of the sector with the church had been more or less abandoned. So it took them a bit longer to get to the building than they would have liked, even with their fast-pace when walking and sometimes outright jogging. Still, within half an hour, they were hurrying through the doors of the old building. Sephiroth wondered who had built it and what sect had worshiped here. Maybe he could look into it at some point? When he didn't have half-a-dozen other potentially planet ending problems that he had to research.

As soon as they got inside, they scanned the room. Something smelled strange to Sephiroth, kind of sweet… almost too sweet. He frowned as his gaze fell across the crumbling pillars, the broken benches and… flowers. The game had been right. Flowers were growing in Midgar. Barren, drained Midgar. Angeal had confirmed it, but still, seeing it for himself was something else.

"Zack?!" Angeal called. Sephiroth noted Genesis closing the doors behind them from the corner of his eye. He gave his attention to his red-headed friend as the man turned and almost immediately caught sight of the flowers. Or, at least The Silver General assumed that was why he froze in surprise with his eyes fixed on the very thing Sephiroth had been studying only moments before.

" _There is no hate, only_ _j_ _oy, for you are beloved by the Goddess…_ " the thespian whispered.

"Zack!" their dark-haired friend said again.

"Angeal?" a head of black, spiky hair popped up over the back of one of the benches. All the tenseness in the larger SOLDIER seeped out of him for several seconds at the sight as he slumped in relief. Then he straightened and marched forward, hands very purposefully at his sides judging by how stiff they suddenly were. Sephiroth's eyebrows rose. He hadn't seen Angeal that angry in a while.

"Do you have _any_ idea how worried I was? No leave, no missions, no phs and _no one_ knew where you were! I thought you'd—" Angeal cut himself off, obviously not wanting to admit what he'd had very good reason to suspect. Although, admitting that the company they all worked for occasionally had people disappear to experiment on wasn't likely something that would help any of them right now.

Zack, now sitting up, looked down in shame. For that moment, he looked like the fifteen-year-old boy he was. It suddenly struck Sephiroth as to how young he was – how young they _all_ were. Angeal (all of them, really) was only four years older than the boy. He knew that many people considered a person to be a child until the age of eighteen… but what exactly did that even mean? A child. He'd come across innocent, naive young humans before, but he certainly wasn't one himself. Hadn't been for a very long time. He knew that wasn't normal, but it didn't really hit him as to just _how_ abnormal that was until that point. Zack shouldn't be fighting. Not because he wasn't competent or good at it… actually, Sephiroth couldn't think of one reason for that boy to not train for war other than his age, but it still felt wrong to send someone that young into battle.

"Sorry, 'Geal," Zack muttered.

Angeal put a hand to the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. "What possessed you to come here of all places? You know the Turks keep that girl under watch."

Zack didn't look up. "Didn't know where else to go," he said. "I did try calling you."

His mentor frowned. "Zack, what happened?"

The boy looked up then, biting his lip. Then he looked over his shoulder at the two other SOLDIERS, brows furrowed in worry. The boy was not difficult to read. Yet another point to his youth and inexperience.

Angeal followed his protege's gaze and blinked at his two friends. "Right. Zack, meet Sephiroth and Genesis. I know you've seen them before, but it's long past due for a formal introduction. He then looked at his two friends and gestured them forward. "Genesis, Sephiroth, meet my student Zachary Fair."

Zack stood up and saluted as the two other SOLDIERS approached. "It is a pleasure to meet you, sirs!" he said crisply.

"At ease," Sephiroth said.

"Indeed. You wanted us here," Genesis said. "Let us dispense with the formalities."

Zack blinked at them, then glanced at Angeal who nodded. The SOLDIER Third relaxed and grinned. "Heh, yeah. Thanks."

"So, why did you ask for us?" Genesis inquired, almost bored sounding. It was an impressive farce.

For a moment, Zack looked lost, staring at the two of them as if seeing something that pained him. Then he shook his head.

"Sit down. This might take a while," he said as he walked into the aisle and began pacing. When no one so much as moved, he paused and looked up. "Um… please?"

Angeal let out a long-suffering sigh. "Very well," he said, and sat down on the front pew. "If this is how you'll explain what you're doing here, then fine." Sephiroth didn't say anything but found a seat on the front row besides Angeal. Genesis rolled his eyes dramatically, but eventually took his own seat besides Sephiroth. Zack continued to walk back and forth, but moved so he paced in front of them.

After a moment, the youth took a deep breath and turned to them, arms folded as if he were disciplining them. Sephiroth found that thought rather amusing.

"First, you all need to know this: Wings don't mean monsters!"

Silence.

Angeal looked about as confused as Sephiroth felt while Genesis looked distinctly unimpressed.

"Zack," the largest SOLDIER started, sounding tired.

"I'm serious!" he interrupted, leaning forward. And there was the energy Sephiroth was used to hearing about and seeing from the boy. "You all need to know that monster is as monster does! It's not how you look or what you wear or what sprouts from your back that makes you a monster! It's your choices!"

More silence, then:

"What… brought this on?" Sephiroth asked.

"Indeed," Genesis drawled. "Is there something either of you aren't telling me? Since when do any of us have wings?"

"No," Zack said, "you might not… not right now, but… aarg! No! It's just something you all need to know! It's important, okay?" He intentionally and pointedly waited for them to all nod (Genesis doing so with a roll of his eyes and only after a harsh look from Angeal) before going on.

"And something else," the boy looked right at Genesis, hands on his hips. "Do you know how much SOLDIER looks up to you? To _all_ of you? If any one of you left right now, you'd probably take a good third of the SOLDIERS with you! Turning around and making them into creepy clone copies is _not cool_! And what's worse, you don't _need_ to do that to get people to support you!"

This… was getting more confusing by the second and Sephiroth was beginning to think that young Zachary had, perhaps, had a mental breakdown of some kind. He didn't seem to be a danger to himself, or them… yet, but it was still worrying.

"And you!" he turned to Sephiroth, who felt his eyebrows rise in surprise. Not many people were that forward with him, especially people he'd only just formally met. "I know you know better than to listen to anything Hojo says! Even if he's written it down! That guy is bad news, so don't take anything he says as anything remotely true! You of all people should know this!"

Sephiroth felt his expression dry out. "I do," he said, deadpan.

That seemed to take the wind out of Zachary's sails. "Oh. Well… good. Remember that.

"And you," he regained his former fervor and turned to Angeal, who seemed to be working through some shock. This must be very out of character for the younger SOLDIER. "Angeal… if you ever feel so unworthy that you don't think you can live, you do _not_ have _any_ right to death by student! There is absolutely no honor in that! I don't care what else is going on!"

What?

Angeal looked genuinely shocked and a little hurt at that.

"Zack," he started, but the boy cut him off.

"If you ever ask me to kill you I'll… I'll… I'll kill you!" He seemed to realize what he'd said because then his eyes widened in horror. "Th-then I'll bring you back and then I… I _won't do it!_ You…" and he seemed to lose his energy again, almost shrinking in on himself. "Angeal, you can't leave me like that."

The boy sounded so utterly broken right then that Sephiroth had to reconsider just how badly this mental break had gotten to the boy. The child didn't have tears on his cheeks yet, but he could see some gathering in his eyes.

"I… I want to be a hero. I want to save people, not hurt them – not kill them. Promise me, Angeal… promise me you won't ever make me do that. Please."

Angeal's expression of worry had returned tenfold and he stood, putting his hands on the other boy's shoulders.

"Of course I won't, Zack, but I agree with Sephiroth: What brought this on?" Angeal asked. "This isn't like you at all."

The boy shook his head. "I… you… you won't believe me," he said, voice small. "You'll think I'm crazy."

"Too late," Genesis muttered to Sephiroth, just low enough for him to pick it up without the other two hearing.

"Zack, I'm your mentor and I want to help, so please, trust me," Angeal said, his voice quiet but firm as steel.

The boy looked up at his teacher, and for a moment, Sephiroth thought he wouldn't tell them. They waited in a charged silence as the boy studied his mentor's face. Then he deflated and nodded.

"It's… well… not last night but the night before, when I got back to my room I found a package on my bed."

Sephiroth felt his blood freeze in his veins. Next to him, Genesis stiffened then shifted positions to subtly reach into the pocket where he'd stored his jammer. Likely an unnecessary precaution, but an appropriate one, considering.

"It didn't have a return address and it had… well… it had a…" he paused. "You'll really think I'm crazy," he said.

"A video game," Sephiroth said.

Zack looked over to him, eyes wide. "Yeah! How did you know?"

"We know," Angeal said slowly, "because Sephiroth got the same thing. Final Fantasy VII?"

The youth nodded, looking relieved. "Yeah. Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core."

Sephiroth frowned. "Crisis Core?" Those words certainly hadn't been anywhere on the game they'd played. Had it been a different game? Related, almost certainly, but was it the same?

"Did it have… seemingly random, highly improbable events that would occur, but then you'd find evidence it was true?" the Silver General asked.

Zack frowned. "Kinda? I mean, it had the Turks in it and it was pretty realistic about them. It also… had Aerith in it. And I was the main character."

"You?" Genesis sounded almost offended.

The youth nodded. "Yeah. At first, it was the coolest thing! But then…" He looked up at Angeal. "You… you left with Genesis, and you both had wings on one side of your body but you could still fly with it and you made the SOLDIERS who left look like you, except you made monsters look like you, Angeal. And then you made me kill you and Genesis kept looking for the gift of the goddess and Sephiroth went crazy and… I hated it! I don't want the future if it happens like that!"

More silence as the SOLDIERS digested that. There had been too many similarities to think that these games weren't related (Sephiroth tried not to cringe at Zack's throw-away comment that 'Sephiroth went crazy'), but what was the difference?

"So… this game had Angeal and me in it?" Genesis asked slowly.

Zack nodded. "Well yeah. Although after Angeal…" he paused and looked over at his mentor. "After I made First, no one seemed to want to acknowledge that you ever existed and the Turks took the idea of hiding company corruption way too seriously. No one would even mention you guys." He paused and seemed to think about that for a moment, and then his eyes widened. "Wait, your game doesn't have you in it at all?"

"No," Sephiroth answered curtly. "It seems to follow one Cloud Strife, and his… friends."

Somehow, Zack's eyes grew even wider. "Cloud? Blond kid from Nibelheim; way too short for his own good; spiky hair that makes mine look tame?"

Sephiroth blinked. "Yes."

"You know him?" Genesis asked.

"I did in the game. He was…" he paused, seeming a little choked up, "my friend."

"Was?" Angeal asked, frown deepening.

Zack's expression went from upset to outright pained. "They… they killed me…" he said. "ShinRa. I… I did everything for them, and… and they sent so many… so many people… battalions… but I had to protect Cloud. I… I couldn't let them get him…"

The younger teen looked so utterly betrayed, and he didn't seem like he was really present, but living out something in the past. Had his game traumatized him so? Then again, hadn't the game they'd been playing traumatized Sephiroth? Not like this, perhaps, but it had been… extremely unpleasant. Zack speaking of himself _as_ the character in his game was far different than Sephiroth's intentional distancing from his own game counterpart, but perhaps it was because he was playing as himself. Though that implied more accuracy to the game maker's interpretation of Zack's persona. Sephiroth knew he was avoiding thinking on how he was beginning to see how he, himself, could be twisted, especially considering Jenova's influence. Or maybe just admit it… as much as he did not want to.

Angeal must have recognized the signs too, because he quickly reached out again, putting his hands on his protege's shoulders and ducking down to try and make eye contact. "Zack," he said firmly. "Zack, look at me."

The boy blinked several times, then looked up at Angeal. If this was how he acted about something like this – that he hadn't even lived through, even if it was about him – then maybe he really wasn't cut out for SOLDIER. Sephiroth made a mental note to discuss it with Angeal later.

"The person on the screen _wasn't you_ ," Angeal said solemnly. Zack looked so _small_ right then – not an easy feat for someone who was well on his way to growing taller than Genesis.

"But… he did exactly what I would have done," Zack whispered. "Who… whoever made the game knew me so well…" his eyes widened and he gasped. "Th-that… I… How? I never asked _why…_ "

And his already sickly skin paled even further. "A...Angeal… how did they know I'd do that?"

"We think there's a mole," Sephiroth said, seeing no reason to not speak up. Zack needed grounding right now, and an explanation could do that. Logic always grounded Sephiroth.

"My bet's on a Turk," Genesis piped up in that carefully controlled nonchalance that wasn't nearly as carefree as he could make it sound. It was… surprisingly kind of him.

"In the game we got, Sephiroth is the antagonist," Angeal said, trying to sound light, but he wasn't nearly as good of an actor as Genesis. "Sephiroth, of all people."

"He… kind of was in mine too. I mean, there was this creepy lady with a weird skin color and glowing eyes and creepy… er… _things_ all over her body—"

"Jenova?" Sephiroth asked, proud that he didn't do so through gritted teeth.

Zack blinked, but then looked relieved. "Yeah. That's why I said not to believe Hojo. He wrote a bunch of crap about her being your mother. I mean, _that_ can't be true, right?"

He wasn't reassured by the silence that met his proclamation.

"Right?" he asked again, any humor he'd regained falling away.

When he only heard more silence, he turned almost frantically to Sephiroth. "Oh, come on! You can't _possibly_ believe that!"

Sephiroth looked away. "I was always told my mother's name is Jenova."

"We don't know what to believe right now," Angeal said quietly, his hand on Zack's shoulder (the boy didn't even have his pauldrons on, he must have been extremely distressed) squeezing in reassurance.

"We will investigate," Sephiroth said, his voice hard.

"We already have another candidate for his mother, though," Genesis added on. "One 'Lucrecia'."

Zack relaxed and his good cheer began to return again. "That's great! What can I do to help?"

The others blinked at him.

"You… wish to help?" Sephiroth asked.

Zack nodded firmly. "Well, yeah! Why wouldn't I?"

More staring. He said it with such conviction – like staying out of everything hadn't even occurred to him. Sephiroth was beginning to see what Angeal saw in this earnest, pure-hearted boy. While the other SOLDIERS were there for a paycheck or for fame or out of loyalty or even just because it had never occurred for them to leave (as had been the case for Sephiroth himself) Zack… was _different_.

"Why… did you join SOLDIER?" Sephiroth found himself asking, wanting to confirm his suspicions, because he wasn't sure he could believe someone that good existed in the world.

Zack blinked at the non-sequitur, then puffed out his chest. "I'm gonna be a hero! Like you!"

Beside him, Genesis folded his arms and rolled his eyes. "Always about Sephiroth."

And there was the Genesis Sephiroth hadn't seen much of for the last three days. The Silver General didn't even dignify the comment with an acknowledgment.

"Why?" Sephiroth pressed.

Zack faltered, blinking. "Why what?"

"Why do you want to be a hero?"

"Sephiroth," Angeal started, but Sephiroth held up his hand for just a moment, gesturing that he had a reason and meant no harm. The dark-haired man frowned but backed down for the moment, although not without sending his friend a silent warning.

"I… want to help people. I _like_ helping people," Zack finally said. "Also letting people know, once I show up, that they can count on me and that I can give them hope." He shook his head and held his arms up to each side in a 'what are you going to do' gesture – as if anyone would really understand what he was saying. "There's no better feeling in the world. That's what I want to do for the rest of my life. That means I gotta get paid for it. I mean, I guess I could be a mercenary who helps people on the side, but I'd prefer to focus on helping people if I can! That means I gotta be a SOLDIER! A SOLDIER First!"

"And I suppose the fame has nothing to do with it?" Genesis asked, sounding about as incredulous as Sephiroth felt, and far more skeptical.

Zack shrugged. "It doesn't hurt. I like being around people too so it doesn't _bug_ me. But if I show up and am just the 'SOLDIER First that can help', I'm fine with that. But I have to be a First before people will really be able to feel safe. Not gonna stop 'till I'm at the top!"

More silence as the three older men took that in. Off to one side, Angeal looked torn between snickering at his friends and looking on his student in pride.

Finally, Genesis broke the silence by turning to Sephiroth. "And here I thought you were always destined to be the hero if I couldn't take that role from you."

Sephiroth raised one eyebrow at him. "Then what role do I fall into in your play? There isn't a fourth role."

Genesis thought on that for a moment while Zack looked back and forth between them, confused. Angeal had turned away, trying to hide his snickers.

Finally, the red-head looked up, triumphant. "There is a fourth character, besides the love interest." Genesis paused and looked between Sephiroth and Zack for a few seconds, then smirked up at the larger man. "You're not the love interest, are you?"

"Huh?" Zack butted in. "What do you mean?"

Meanwhile, Sephiroth felt his expression dry out again. "No."

"Ah, well then, there is someone else there throughout the entire play – arguably the most important part seeing as it is their fault there is no fifth act."

The silver-haired man frowned. That made no sense.

Genesis' grin widened at his confusion. "The observer, obviously; the Narrator. We would not have such a tale to be told if it had not been witnessed."

Sephiroth blinked in surprise. "You think I am the narrator?"

His friend scoffed. "Of course not. The Narrator is obviously me. Such a position would need a knowledge of artful literature and how to build it."

"Obviously," Sephiroth deadpanned.

Angeal couldn't stop hiding his laughter anymore as he snorted, rather loudly, which just seemed to make him want to laugh more.

Meanwhile Zack looked between the three of them, utterly confused. "I don't get it," he said.

Genesis scoffed again, condescending and superior. "Of course, you don't. Have you ever even read Loveless?"

The younger boy cocked his head to one side. "No, I get that. I've read it before and in the game I played, you wrote the fifth act. At least… I think it was you."

The red-head froze, eyes widening in shock. "I… what?"

Zack nodded. "Yeah. But what I don't get is why we can't all be heroes? Why can there only be one? I know it's a common part of the plays, but it isn't in the actual script."

The other three just stared at him… again. Sephiroth had to admit, he had a point.

"Surprisingly thoughtful, defying fate," Genesis said, looking up thoughtfully with a hand on his chin. Then he nodded. "I like it."

Considering what their fate might be, Sephiroth found himself agreeing with his friend… _again_. He still found the concept a little surreal. He wondered if it would ever _not_ be… strange.

"As much as I'd like to continue this discussion," Angeal said, trying to hold back his grin as he held up his PHS for the others to see. "We _really_ need to get back. Aerith just texted me and let me know that she's on her way here, so if her Turk watchers didn't know we were here before, they will if we don't leave soon. Zack, I can excuse you from your morning classes, but I can't just overlook this. You'll be cleaning the SOLDIER toilets for the rest of the month for disappearing like you did."

The boy's face fell. "What?! But Angeal—"

"No buts," Angeal shook his head, expression back to solemn. "I know you were upset – and I can't blame you – but just leaving like that is _dangerous_. You could have gotten very hurt and we wouldn't have known where to look for you."

Zack's face screamed skepticism. "I'm a SOLDIER Third. What, besides another SOLDIER, could hurt me in Midgar?"

"You'd be surprised," Genesis muttered darkly.

Angeal nodded. "It's that kind of an attitude that gets people killed, Zack. Even if something _looks_ harmless, that doesn't mean it is. Even if it's unlikely you'll get hurt, that is no excuse to let your guard down."

Zack suddenly looked pained again, likely remembering something else from the game, before he slumped a little and nodded. "Okay, Angeal. I'm sorry for worrying you."

The larger SOLDIER put his gloved hand on Zack's head. "You were forgiven the moment I saw you alive and well. I wouldn't be a good mentor if I didn't discipline you for this, but I'm more relieved that you're alright than anything else."

"Well, then, if we are done here," Genesis said, already walking past them and towards the exit, "shall we?"

They all stalked out of the church, closing the doors behind them and trekking through the Sector 5 slums at a pace that would deter anyone attempting to stop them. Purposeful, but not rushed. At first, they trudged through the half-hazard walk-ways in silence, but Sephiroth knew they would have to discuss, well, everything soon. Unfortunately, just as he'd planned on speaking up, they happened into one of the more populated areas in the sector and someone spotted them. Most of their group was rather famous and so, due to the staring and pointing and hushed whispering as they passed, they didn't get the chance to really talk until they got onto the train that would take them up to the plate.

Fortunately, due to the time of day, the train was mostly empty and they found a car they could ride on alone. A few warning glares from Genesis and Sephiroth discouraged people from following them.

"I don't think we have enough time to go over everything," Sephiroth said, once they were situated, "but we need to know. Zachary, I understand this was difficult for you, but we need you to write a report on the game. We need to know what happened in the game, why, who seemed in on any secrets, and anything else that might be of any potential importance."

Zack's lips thinned as he nodded firmly. "Right. I can do that." Then his face softened and he looked a little embarrassed. "And I'd prefer it if you called me Zack. I'd use that on my official records if I could."

Sephiroth felt the corner of his mouth twitch a little. The boy was just so… _earnest_. "Zack, then," he said with a nod.

The boy practically beamed. Then, as if a switch had flipped again, he slumped a little. "I wish I hadn't gotten so upset last night. Then I could have just shown you all the cut scenes."

Blinks all around. "The… what?" Sephiroth asked.

Zack perked up at that. Just watching the boy's swinging emotions was exhausting. How did he manage to pull off so much energy?

"The cut scenes. Most games now-a-days have a list of scenes you can rewatch – usually scenes that are part of the story but you don't actually play in them. The really good ones are way better quality and the game gets recorded onto your gamestation so you can go back and view them. Once you finish a game… although I didn't completely finish."

That drew the other SOLDIER's attention. "You didn't finish?" Sephiroth asked.

Zack tensed, the uneasy – almost angry – expression returning and he didn't meet the other's eyes. "Remember I said they killed me? I… didn't exactly see the end of the game. I just… sort of…" he ran a hand through his hair. Then he shook his head and turned his attention on the others. "Seeing yourself lying on the ground in blood as your best friend comes up to you and it begins to rain… it…"

He stopped and took a deep breath.

"I'm pretty sure it was the end or really close to the end of the game, but… I didn't find out for sure because I threw the gamestation across the room. With SOLDIER strength, we'd probably be pretty lucky if it could be fixed."

Though the act had been rough and careless to say the least, again Seprhiroth found himself sympathizing – empathizing even. It wasn't something he often felt.

"I hope you didn't break it or we'll have to play it all over again," Angeal said, voice stern but also hesitant. He also looked _haunted_ , and like he might faint at any given moment.

Zack shuddered.

"Wait… you finished your game?" Genesis asked.

Zack blinked. "Uh, yeah. Why?"

The three older SOLDIERS exchanged glances.

"We barely got through the first disk and we've been playing for more than 20 hours," Angeal said.

Zack's eyes widened. "Oh. Yeah… no. Mine wasn't nearly that long. I don't think it would take more than a couple of hours to watch all the cut scenes."

Sephiroth hummed. So it wasn't the same game. A prequel perhaps? The first story? A sequel (although he doubted it, unless Zack is somehow alive in the game they'd been playing)? Exactly when did it fall in the timeline? His musing was cut off by Genesis voicing a question.

"So we can simply watch these… scenes? Instead of playing the game?"

Zack blinked, then took another deep breath as he nodded. "Yeah, we should be… although we might have to play the end again… Or… um… you would. I don't want to see that again. Because I…" he faded off, then swallowed. "Watching yourself die on screen sucks. I was just… laying in the rain and I gave Cloud my sword – the one Angeal gave me – and then just _died_. I…" He paused, swallowed and took a deep breath. "That's when I threw the gamestation."

Sephiroth felt his brow furrow, reminded yet again of the intense emotions their game had evoked and thoughts of broken furniture. Genesis had looked away and Angeal, if anything, looked even paler. Unhealthily so. He'd been standing the whole ride, but at that point he (wisely, in Sephiroth's opinion) sat down.

"So that was the mess I saw on your bed earlier," the mentor said.

Zack turned to him. "What?"

Angeal forced a smile. It looked painful to Sephiroth. "I went to double check and make sure you weren't hiding from me or something."

"Why would I hide from you?" Zack asked, frowning.

The older man raised one sardonic eyebrow at his student. "It wouldn't be the first time you'd done something rather ridiculous despite common sense."

Zack chuckled and rubbed the back of his head, sheepish. It was forced, but normal enough to put everyone on more solid ground. "Yeah, okay. You got me there." Then he seemed to realize something. "Wait! You went through my stuff?!"

Angeal shook his head. "No. I saw your phs charging on your nightstand and wanted to see if you were hiding in your closet or under your bed. That's all I checked. I didn't rifle through anything, but I did see a mess of parts on your bed. Your roommate must have put them there."

Zack sighed. "Yeah. I was afraid of that. Looks like I'll have to play it again." He sounded thoroughly depressed as he slumped back against the seat, turning to watch the walls outside as they passed by.

"Zack," Angeal said, "it's okay. We can play it at some point, and you don't have to—"

The youth shook his head, gaze firm as it landed on Angeal. "No, I can handle it, and you guys have your own game to play, right? And if it's anything like mine, you shouldn't have to split your focus..

"Besides, I gotta try and fix it before anyone can replay it anyway. Actually, it might be cheaper to outright replace. Almost positive it would be faster, though those aren't exactly on the store shelves any more, and second-hand shops will take a lot a legwork or PHS calls and time unless I'm lucky. Maybe Kunsel knows someone who's selling theirs. But yeah, I can handle all that and the game itself, too."

Sephiroth and Genesis exchanged glances, both impressed at the boy's determination. Sephiroth took back his previous thoughts that Zack might not be cut out for SOLDIER. Angeal, meanwhile, looked so utterly sad, but also proud.

"Don't push yourself too hard, Zack."

The boy nodded and smiled a little, even if it looked pained. "Yeah. I won't."

"Take regular breaks, and come see us if something upsets you too much."

Zack nodded again, this time fondly. "Right."

"And I want you to promise me—"

"Oh, stop mother-henning the boy," Genesis cut in. "Honestly, Angeal. He's a teenager. He can take care of himself." The red-head paused and looked Zack up and down. "Well, mostly."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Zack asked.

Genesis just smirked at him. Then he leaned forward. "Also, please record what the games says the Fifth Act is."

This time the fond, if exasperated look on Zack's face was aimed at Genesis. "Right. _Even if the morrow is barren of promises, nothing will forestall my return_."

The Commander's eyes widened a bit, but then a truly pleased grin stole across his features. "Close, it's, 'N _othing_ shall _forestall my return'._ And you will need far more practice to deliver it correctly – the cadence and tone were completely off… but you show more promise than these two _inerudites_."

Zack didn't seem to know how to take that. Angeal just watched his friend, expression deadpan. Sephiroth raised one amused eyebrow.

"Is that even a word? I thought it an adjective, not a noun."

"Unappreciative boors, then?"

Angeal rolled his eyes. Sephiroth just raised his eyebrow further. Meanwhile, Zack snickered. Sephiroth let the light atmosphere linger for a few moments before bringing them back to the matter at hand.

"In any case, I know you have your own training and classwork, Zack, so I will ask you to finish your report within two days. Write down everything you can remember. You can do something more thorough at a later date."

Zack's smile dimmed, but he nodded. "Right. I'll do that."

"Meanwhile, we will attempt to finish our… game."

"Not tonight," Angeal cut in, folding his arms and fixing his two friends with a stern gaze. "Sephiroth has had four hours of sleep in the last 48 hours. I've had two in the last 36 and Genesis hasn't slept at all. We need our rest."

Sephiroth wanted to argue, but the firm frown on his friend's face dissuaded him. He wasn't happy about it, but he nodded.

"Oh, very well," Genesis said grumpily.

Angeal nodded. "Good."

"I still plan on trying to get information from the science department later today," Sephiroth said.

The other SOLDIER frowned. "I don't think that's a good idea on four hours of sleep. Especially not when it involves Hojo. Plus it might not even be on the main network. Hojo's arrogant, but he's also rather paranoid. We may have to try to gain the information multiple times, so best to not draw attention to ourselves."

Well, when he put it like that…

"I actually agree with Angeal," Genesis cut in. "Neither that man or the company are to be trifled with. We will need to be at our best to stay ahead of them."

Yet something else that annoyed him, but…

"Oh, very well," Sephiroth said, repressing a sigh. "I will move onto one of the other major points of critical investigation."

Angeal's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "And they are?"

Sephiroth met his gaze. "Interviewing Cloud Strife."

Silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Fun Fact: 'Inerudite' means 'ignorant' or 'ignoramus'. My program does not like it. LOL
> 
> Yes, I just left it there. *evil grin* I will have you know, my wonderful beta, Imagination7413, thought I should put more at the end. I vetoed it because I'm cruel like that. *ahem* What? It was the perfect ending! But yeah, blame me. *runs away cackling… again* *Because I can*
> 
> Discord: discord.gg/cwbXvzbab3
> 
> Also, I was tired when I posted this, so if something doesn't make sense, it was my fault and I'd be happy if you'd point it out to me. :)
> 
> P.S. I got a gift work! Someone's interpretation of Zack when he was playing Crisis Core. So much luv! ScribeofReaper on AO3 wrote "Advanced Release: Zack in Crisis" (such a great title) archiveofourown.org/works/28824429 If you'd like to check it out!


	23. Interview With a Cloud

" _Oh, very well," Sephiroth said, repressing a sigh. "I will move onto one of the other major points of critical investigation."_

_Angeal's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "And that is?"_

_Sephiroth met his gaze. "Interviewing Cloud Strife."_

_Silence._

After several seconds, Genesis spoke. "A good idea," he said, nodding in approval. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out the jamming device. "This might help."

Sephiroth blinked, then cautiously reached forward and took the offering.

"Thank you."

"I suppose that isn't as dangerous as dealing with Hojo or any… information he may have," Angeal said reluctantly. "When does he return again?"

Sephiroth allowed himself to frown. "At the end of the week." Far too soon, in his opinion.

"Please be nice to my little buddy," Zack cut in, voice pleading. "Don't scare him too badly."

Despite the fact that the two had never met, the SOLDIER Third still seemed to count Cloud as a friend. Sephiroth was growing more and more sure that Zack was a once-in-a-lifetime find. He'd certainly never met anyone like the younger teen before. He tipped his head towards Zack, acknowledging the request. He didn't plan on doing anything too harsh anyway. He simply needed to ascertain what this Cloud Strife knew.

The younger boy relaxed a bit, nodding in thanks as he sat back in his seat.

No one spoke after that, each lost in their own thoughts.

The atmosphere seemed far less charged now that they had a basic plan for moving forward. He wanted to ask Zack about his experiences, but even he saw that the boy needed time. It was part of the reason why Sephiroth had decided on a two-day deadline for his report. The boy looked almost heartbroken and contemplative as he stared out the train window.

On the other side of the train, Genesis had done much the same, although his expression seemed far more thoughtful than sad or upset. Angeal watched his student with a furrowed brow. Sephiroth couldn't blame him for his worry. Zack seemed so… different now.

They all did.

Because of a game. Or a pair of games.

That could supposedly tell the future.

Sephiroth took a deep breath and closed his eyes, just reveling in the feeling of his close friends that he could trust around him and nothing else. He could deal with the details once they returned to the tower.

xXx

Cloud gripped the keycard and slip of paper with his orders in his white-knuckled hand as he hurried down the enormous hallways of the ShinRa building, hoping he wouldn't lose his lunch. His class had been interrupted. He had been summoned… What could he possibly have been summoned for? The note hadn't even told him who needed to see him. A SOLDIER Third with a helmet on had shown up with the note and keycard and had given them to his teacher, who had then called Cloud out. Then the SOLDIER had left and Cloud now had to navigate the ShinRa building alone.

He couldn't help his mind from racing to the worst possible conclusions. Maybe Barri had set him up again. He'd call it a prank and then snicker and wave as Cloud was escorted from the building and Midgar altogether. He'd end up homeless and alone on the Midgar plains.

Or what if something had happened to his mom? What if she'd tried to come and see him? They didn't have that kind of money! He would know as he'd had to hitchhike his way across both continents to get here. Could his mom do the same? She'd always seemed so strong to him growing up, but he'd recently begun to realize just how lucky he'd been to get here unharmed. What if she hadn't? Or what if there had been an accident of some kind? What if a dragon had wandered into town for the first time in almost a century and their house was now nothing but a pile of ash?

They wouldn't just call him out for something simple… would they? No, not ShinRa. So something had to have happened.

By the time Cloud got to the proper floor, he was a wreck. At least the keycard worked without any issues.

He hurried down the hall, reminding himself not to run because what if a SOLDIER saw him? If he had any chance left at becoming a SOLDIER as it was, having a bad record wouldn't help him in the slightest, so he kept his strides short and quick as he searched for the room number on the note.

009… 011… There, 013.

He pulled to a stop in front of the door, and lifted a hand to knock. Then he paused and took a breath, trying to calm down. It didn't help much. Part of him wanted to rush in and demand to know what had happened. Part of him just wanted to rush back to the elevator and pretend nothing had happened.

Reminding himself that such actions would do him no good, he swallowed and then forced his hand to move.

_Knock, knock._

A deep voice called out to him. "Enter."

Cloud felt his eyes widen. He knew that voice…

No, no it couldn't be…

He opened the door, peeked inside and almost fainted because yes, it was Sephiroth. The hero the newspapers couldn't stop talking about. The idol of practically every cadet in ShinRa. The Silver General, even if that wasn't an official title. And he'd _spoken_ to Cloud.

For several seconds, he just stood there, staring because this was far too good to be true… or far too bad to be true. He couldn't decide on which.

"Do you plan on standing there all day, or would you prefer a seat?" the man asked wryly, snapping Cloud out of his reverie.

"Sorry!" he exclaimed as he rushed in and took a seat across from the man.

He just looked at Cloud, one eyebrow raised… staring right through him. Had he forgotten something? Oh!

He shot to his feet and saluted. "Sir! Sorry, sir!"

At least the General smiled at that. "At ease, Cadet. I told you to have a seat. Remember to salute first, next time. Other SOLDIERS aren't so lenient."

Cloud felt his cheeks darken and he looked down, wishing he could melt into the floor. Or the chair. Or the desk. Anything would be nice. How embarrassing. "Yes, sir," he said as he sat quickly and stiffly, still not able to look up.

"I'm sure you're curious as to why you are here," Sephiroth said, leaning forward, his hands coming to rest casually on the desk between them.

"Yes, sir," Cloud said softly. He swallowed again. "Is… is it my mother?"

Inwardly, he cringed, hoping beyond hope that he'd somehow guessed wrong.

"No," the Silver General said. "My fellow SOLDIERS and I are in the middle of an investigation and we believe your input can help us."

Cloud almost melted in relief before the words caught up to him. "An… investigation, Sir? About what?"

Sephiroth shook his head. "If I told you that, it could invalidate the investigation. What I am going to do is read off a list of names. I need you to tell me if you have ever heard of these people before."

Still confused, Cloud nodded. "Yes, Sir."

His hero returned the nod and took out a list. "Barrett Wallace."

The blond paused and thought about that, long and hard. Then he shook his head. "I've never heard of him, Sir."

"Aeris or Aerith Gainsborough."

The cadet wracked his brain, but came up with nothing, so he shook his head.

Sephiroth nodded, looking unsurprised. "Tifa Lockheart."

Cloud couldn't help his eyes widening. "Tifa? She was my neighbor growing up, Sir. She takes martial arts from an instructor in my home town and likes to go exploring." He hoped that last part didn't sound bitter as he continued.

"Is something wrong with her, Sir?"

Sephiroth studied Cloud for several seconds before he shook his head. "No. She is fine as far as I know. That is all I can say for now and I need to move on."

Reluctantly, Cloud nodded.

"Red XIII or Nanaki."

The Cadet thought about that, but nothing came to mind. He shook his head.

"Yuffie Kisaragi."

Cloud shook his head again.

"Vincent Valentine."

Another negative.

"Cid Highwind."

Another shake.

"Reeve Tuesti."

"No, Sir. I…" he paused. "Wait. Isn't he on the ShinRa board? Part of some useless division?"

Sephiroth quirked an eyebrow and nodded. "Do you have anything else to say about him?"

"No, Sir." Cloud bit his lip and then realized what he was doing and stopped. He tried to swallow again, but his mouth still felt so dry. "What's this about… Sir?"

The silver-haired man sighed and folded his hands in front of him on the desk. "I can't tell you much, right now, Cadet. Mainly due to the nature of the investigation." At least he seemed genuinely sorry. Cloud nodded and looked down.

"I have a couple of other terms I'd like for you to hear and tell me if you've heard of them before."

Trying to ignore the churning in his stomach, Cloud nodded. "Alright, Sir."

"Cait Sith."

Cloud frowned. "Do you mean _Cat-_ Sith?"

Sephiroth merely raised an eyebrow to show his interest. Cloud swallowed and explained. "Cat-Sith are large, soul-stealing cats, Sir. They're a myth – a legend. Nothing more."

"Hmm," the silver-haired SOLDIER said after a moment, then nodded and continued on.

"Final Fantasy?"

Cloud shook his head. "No, Sir."

"Squaresoft?"

"No, Sir."

Sephiroth seemed to pause, although Cloud couldn't begin to fathom why. "Jenova."

Cloud felt his brow furrow in worry. There had been a particularly sharp tone when he'd said that word. The blond still shook his head. "No, Sir."

The older man nodded, then took a slow breath before he said the next word. "Reunion."

The cadet's frown deepened. "As in a family reunion?"

"We… aren't sure."

Cloud shrugged. "I mean, I guess, if you do mean a family reunion. I've never been to one, but my Mom has. A couple of my squadmates have mentioned going to see family once they get their first leave. But if it's something more specific than that… um… no, Sir."

Sephiroth nodded again, then looked down at the papers in front of him.

"Your record says you were born and raised in a town on the Western Continent called Nibelheim." Cloud nodded and the man continued. "There is a reactor there, correct?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Was there anyone there who may have come recently? Someone who was researching for a book or a game."

Cloud's face scrunched in utter bafflement. "Who would come to Nibelheim to do that? It's so far out of the way I don't know why anyone stays, and nobody in their right mind would come to stay… er… Sir."

"Nevertheless, this is important, Cadet."

Again Cloud thought back, going over everyone he could remember. The newest residents would have to be the Brockhurst family and they'd moved in when Cloud had been three.

He shook his head again. "No, Sir. We get adventurers every now and then, but I don't speak to them."

Sephiroth frowned down at the papers in front of him, then picked up a pen and wrote something before setting it down and returning his attention to Cloud. "Did you ever leave Nibelheim before you came to ShinRa? On vacation, perhaps?"

The fact that he had no idea where these questions were going bothered Cloud, making him fidget more than he probably should, but he still tried to answer as honestly as he could.

"No, Sir. Ma doesn't have family left and we never had enough money to travel."

"I see. Did you write to anyone? A pen pal, perhaps?"

Cloud shook his head. "No, Sir."

"No contact with anyone outside the village at all?"

The cadet thought back and couldn't think of anyone he spoke with directly. He'd seen delivery men and women, the adventurers and who came through on their way to hunting Nibel dragons and wolves. But his mother had warned him off of speaking to them, and he'd never had the guts (or really a reason) to approach them.

"Not that I remember, Sir."

A pause. "It sounds like you lived a lonely life."

Cloud tried not to flinch at that and this time chose not to respond at all. He hadn't liked most of the other kids in town, and the feeling had been mutual. Tifa had been the exception. It was a trend that had followed him here too. He'd met a few squadmates who were pretty cool, and he _tried_ to be friendly, he really did, but most people saw him as a runt who wouldn't amount to anything. They… weren't entirely wrong, but being blown off like that hurt more here somehow. Maybe because he thought it had been a Nibelheim thing before. Now, though, he had proof that it seemed to be a _Cloud_ thing. That… hadn't been a pleasant revelation.

The sound of his idol's chair scraping across the floor drew him out of his thoughts and he saw the man stand. Quickly, Cloud scrambled out of his chair and to attention.

"Follow me," Sephiroth said as he walked out the door.

For a moment, Cloud stood, staring after him in utter confusion. None of this made sense! Sephiroth had said he wasn't in trouble, but then why him? Why talk about his past and his family? About Nibelheim of all places?

Then he realized he'd been standing there for too long and his eyes widened as he shot forward, having to jog to catch up with Sephiroth as he strode down the hall.

The cadet really hoped wherever they were going would _finally_ give him some answers.

xXx

Sephiroth heard the boy following behind him and made sure he did not shake his head. The child was… clumsy, small, and very much not a people person if their conversation was anything to go by. He never would have been someone who stood out in ShinRa. As nervous and jumpy as the child was, though, he'd responded truthfully to every one of Sephiroth's probes. The boy wore his heart on his sleeve and likely couldn't lie to save his life.

He was almost nothing like the Cloud from the game. Sephiroth strained to see a connection to the broken warrior Cloud, and couldn't decide if the fact that they had so little in common was positive or negative. The man from the game had had many problems, enough so that Sephiroth doubted they'd gotten into everything yet. This child, though, had his own issues, it seemed. A lack of self esteem and, judging from his past and his responses, few interactions growing up. Genesis said the boy had decent reaction times, but so many bad habits from being self-taught that he would likely not amount to anything.

But Sephiroth wasn't sure. It wasn't a gut feeling or anything he'd actually seen from the child, but he wanted to see the boy in action. Of course, from the boy's nervous steps and wringing hands, he doubted Cloud would be able to give much of a showing. Was this pushing him too far? Should he just send the young teen back to classes and forget about all of this?

He only really considered that option for a moment before dismissing it. The boy was already here, and Sephiroth would be lying if he said he wasn't curious. However, he also felt something else… something he almost never felt. And now he'd felt it twice in one day. Nervousness. He'd been concerned about meeting the child whose town he would supposedly destroy – a boy who, apparently, had few connections outside of said town. And now, again. This was the boy who would (according to the game) confront him in the Nibelheim reactor, and who would chase Sephiroth's spector across the world.

He just couldn't help but ask _why_? Why this boy? What was so special about him? Why had someone, somewhere, found him and decided to use him for their scarily accurate video game?

Just who was Cloud Strife really?

Well, Sephiroth intended to find out, nervous or not.

He ignored the stares of some of the other SOLDIERS as the two of them strode by and stopped before one of the gyms. Punching in his access code, he strode inside and up to the practice swords hung on the rack against the wall on the left. Then he turned to see a very confused cadet come jogging up to him, slightly winded. Hmm, that would be something the boy would need to fix.

"Have you had any formal training before you came to ShinRa?" Sephiroth asked Cloud.

The boy blinked, taken aback. Then he shook his head, face reddening as he looked down. "No, Sir."

Hmm. So, basics.

Sephiroth reached over and picked up a random sword. "Swords come in many sizes and shapes. One-handed, two-handed, short and straight gladius swords to enormous buster swords to long and curved katanas and odachis. They come from different cultures all over the world and their shapes have evolved to enhance local fighting styles. Here at ShinRa, we start with a very basic style that can morph into one of many styles depending on your strengths and goals.

"One thing to look for in a sword is weight. A SOLDIER can swing a massive sword around like it's nothing. Unenhanced cadets, though…" he picked up another sword. Then he tossed one of them at Cloud who fumbled but stopped it from falling to the floor. It would have sliced off his arm had it been a real sword. "It is more important to pick a weapon you can wield than to pick a weapon that looks dangerous. A master at daggers can take an apprentice at swords any day. If you want to work towards something, like a buster sword, start with what works for you and move upwards."

The boy looked like he was taking every word Sephiroth said in, and it made him a little uncomfortable. He'd never met the boy before, but he half expected him to jump at him in a fit of rage, not hang off of his every word. Cloud also still looked utterly confused.

"Tell me what you can about that sword," Sephiroth said as he gestured to the wooden practice weapon in the boy's hand's.

Cloud blinked and looked down at the weapon.

"Um…" he started.

Sephiroth repressed a sigh. "How long is the handle?" he asked.

"Um… pretty long, I suppose."

"Long enough for two hands?" Sephiroth asked.

Cloud put two hands on the sword. He didn't have a half-bad grip. Could use improvement, but still, not terrible.

"Yes, Sir."

"Then it is a two handed sword. The weight for two handed swords is slightly different because these weapons are built for power swings. With enough skill and practice, you can use them one or two handed, but to get the full use of the weapon as quickly as possible, start with two-handed katas and swings.

"This," he held out the other sword in his hand, "is a one-handed sword. It only has room for one hand to hold the hilt." Perhaps that was a bit obvious, but then the Cloud on the game had been a little dense and he was starting at the beginning here. "These are usually for people who are small, light and fast on their feet. However, most people in ShinRa pick another weapon instead – often one that gives them some form of distance or mid-range length. Guns, shurikens, staffs, spears or…" he reached out his hand and summoned his weapon, "Masamune."

If Cloud's eyes had been wide before, they'd become saucers now, staring at and drinking in the sight of the famous sword.

"It's… long because you wanted reach?"

Sephiroth nodded. "It took a lot of practice and studying of this weapon to be able to handle her correctly. As you note, she is a two-handed weapon, and I started learning to fight with an odachi at a very young age."

Cloud tipped his head to one side in question. "Odachi?"

"A Wutian long-sword."

Realization came to the cadet's face and he settled back as if to wait for more instruction.

Was that what Sephiroth was doing? Instructing the boy? He'd never been particularly good at teaching, so he leaned away from that uncomfortable idea. Besides, these were merely the basics that every warrior should know.

"By using a sword as long as this, I have a good deal of slashing power, but I give up maneuverability. Were this a spear, I could use the center of the weapon to easily and quickly change directions and cover more points. However, enough power can cut through the shaft of a spear. Even were we to make it from metal, a well-made sword with enough power behind it could render the weapon useless. I have found that happens less with swords. I wanted a weapon that could be with me for life, so I had this made."

"How do you just make it appear like that?" Cloud asked, still looking awed.

"Similar to a summon materia, actually. It took a team of scientists years to tie a summon-like effect to this sword. The materia shard was then implanted into my body and I can summon her or banish her at will. From what I understand, there were several experiments done to make this not just possible, but plausible." He usually tried to avoid thinking about those other 'experiments' that were 'sacrificed' so he could summon his weapon.

"It cost far too much money to do more experiments with and the project was shut down. I was simply lucky enough to reap the benefits before it did."

Cloud blinked. "Oh."

"I would like to see how you handle your sword basics. Let me show you how to hold that. If you wish to move onto a different weapon later, you can." With that, he dismissed Masamune, put the one-handed wooden sword back on the rack, then lifted another two handed sword off of it. He walked over to Cloud and took a stance. "This is what the first and most basic stance looks like. From here, you can move to many positions."

The cadet mimicked him and Sephiroth studied his position.

"Your hands need to be further apart and your feet a little closer together. You need to be in a position where you can move easily."

Cloud adjusted as Sephiroth had said.

The Silver General nodded. "Good. Memorize how this stance feels, how your legs feel and are positioned, how your arms and hands and shoulders feel. Relax your back a little. The point is to be fluid. If you have to tense your back to carry the sword, it is too heavy for you."

The blond nodded and closed his eyes. Sephiroth gave him a couple of minutes to memorize everything. Then he cleared his throat. Cloud looked over at him.

"The first swing comes like this…"

He went on to show the cadet several basic slashes, blocks and dodges, judging that parries were too advanced for the boy at this stage. Sephiroth wasn't sure if he was surprised or not when the child caught on to each one so quickly. He'd been expecting something this whole time, and now he had the first, slightest, vaguest, indication. So, no not surprised then. It was closer to vindicated, he supposed.

Then he led the boy through the training exercises, one leading to the next in something similar to a kata. It wasn't an actual kata that he'd been taught by his Wutain instructor, those were specifically for wutian blades, but it was similar enough. Cloud seemed to take well to them despite needing some correction. Once he got the movement down, though, he didn't make the same mistake again.

By the end of the hour, the boy had sweat running down his face, but he looked very pleased with himself.

"Now," Sephiroth said at the end, "prepare yourself."

He'd heard Angeal say the same thing to Zack before he attacked and that was all he was willing to give an opponent, even if it was a novice. Then he moved towards the boy. It wasn't nearly as quick as he could go, but was faster than most civilians could follow. Cloud utterly panicked for a moment, then his expression shifted into firm determination and he seemed to remember his new training, doing his best to use the strikes, swings and blocks to defend himself.

In the end, Sephiroth still easily disarmed him, holding the sword to the boy's heaving throat. Sephiroth smiled and was about to call for the end of the match when Cloud did something unexpected. He twisted his body, bringing up his arm and elbow, slapping the sword away on the broad side of the sword. Then he dove for Sephiroth, arm outstretched.

The SOLDIER jumped back, raising an eyebrow. That had been… reckless, but inventive.

Using the moment of distraction, Cloud somehow pivoted and sprang towards his sword, but Sephiroth was far too fast for that. He leaped in front of the boy, catching his arm, then spinning him and holding him against his side with the sword against his neck.

"Checkmate," he said. "Do you yield?"

Cloud struggled for a minute, then slumped a little. "Yes, I yield."

Sephiroth smiled and stood up, lifting the sword from its position and then dropping that hand down to his side. The cadet stepped away from him, rubbing his throat.

"Had I been going my full speed, that maneuver would have gotten you killed," Sephiroth said sternly. Cloud sighed and nodded.

"Yes, Sir."

"However, it was also creative and unexpected. Thinking like that in battle can be an immense boon. The fact of the matter is that I was not going my full speed, and thus it was a good idea even with your mediocre execution. I can see why…" he paused fading off. He'd been about to say that he could see why Cloud had made SOLDIER now. It wasn't his size or his skills, but his sheer determination and ability to think outside of the box that gave this boy potential. But the fact of the matter was that the boy _hadn't_ become SOLDIER. Not yet.

Cloud looked confused. "Sir?" he asked.

Sephiroth shook his head. "Classified, Cadet." He took a deep breath and walked over to pick up Cloud's sword, then strode towards the wall where he placed them back on the rack.

"According to what I've just seen, you have good instincts and you pick things up quickly. But I've seen your file. Why are your best grades merely average?"

Whatever confidence the boy had gained faded almost instantly and he was back to a shrinking, shy child instead of the promising cadet.

"I… don't know. Guns are harder than swords."

That surprised Sephiroth. He used swords because he could personally do much more with his preferred style than he could with a gun. Guns felt like a shortcut to him. He knew they weren't and he could definitely respect someone who used guns as their primary weapon, but it had never felt right to him.

"And your hand to hand?"

At that Cloud looked frustrated. "The other kids are bigger than me. And I try to make my body move the way the instructor says to, but… it doesn't. I mean… it's getting better now, but no matter how hard I work, I always," he paused, struggling for words. "I feel like I'm fighting myself as much as I'm fighting whoever I'm fighting. And we don't study swords as cadets, only guns and hand to hand."

He scuffed the ground with one boot, face red in embarrassment again.

"Hmm," Sephiroth said. Then he nodded. He'd gathered enough information. This boy had little or nothing to do with the game makers, terrorists or Jenova. He also had potential – a good deal of it – if someone was willing to put in the time to actually train him. And he didn't want to see this wide-eyed child become the cynical warrior from the game. Said cynical warrior had his moments of happiness and earnestness reminiscent of Zack, but they were few and far between. For some reason, he hated the idea of this child losing his hopeful nature to such negativity.

"I've seen what I need to," Sephiroth finally said. "You may return to your classes."

Cloud stood straight, nodded and saluted, then turned to leave. Before he got to the door, though, he turned back to Sephiroth. "Um… Sir?"

"Yes?" Sephiroth asked, voice emotionless, as it should be.

"May I… get a note? To excuse me?"

Ah, yes. That would probably be prudent. The Silver General nodded. "Follow me," he said, walking past the boy. He would have stayed behind to clean up, but he could leave that to the janitors, this once. He led the boy back to his office and wrote a note excusing him, then signed it. Then he noted that the cadet still hadn't recovered from their very light session.

If this boy wanted into SOLDIER, he had a long way to go.

"Find a stick or a training sword and go through those training exercises once a day, either in the morning or evening. Also, run around the cadet training track five times every day." That should be a good beginner's workout. "Also stretch before and after. I know you've been taught stretches in your classes. Follow those."

Cloud opened his mouth, looking concerned, but Sephiroth cut him off, knowing what he would say – that he didn't have enough time. Well, the Silver General had something to say about that.

"Find the time for it. You need to decide now if it's more important for you to slip by in class with mediocre scores, or to push yourself as hard as you possibly can. I can tell you that only one of those will get you into SOLDIER. Am I understood?"

The boy's eyes had gotten big again, although this time he seemed shocked more than anything. Then he nodded his head firmly, face settling into determination. "Sir, yes, Sir!"

"Good. The rest is up to you. I expect great things from you, Cloud."

The boy's chest puffed out a little and he looked elated.

"Th-thank you, Sir!"

"Dismissed."

"Yes, Sir!"

With that, the boy turned and practically ran out of the room. Sephiroth shook his head, a small smile on his face. If the boy had that much energy after an obviously trying workout, then he'd be a shoe-in for SOLDIER. At least, now that someone had given him pointers and a direction. Interesting as to what a little attention could do for a person.

With a sigh, he turned his computer on and began to type out a report for Genesis and Angeal, grateful he'd been able to finish his paperwork earlier that day. He hadn't been able to get to some of his other duties, but this would be acceptable for today. Tomorrow, he should be right back on his usual schedule.

And after he finished work the next day, they'd go back to playing the game.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: First of all, a particularly shoutout to how awesome Imagination7413 is. They spent a lot of time helping me get this chapter as it is and I cannot emphasize how absolutely AMAZING they are. SO MUCH LUV!
> 
> Also, for those of you who don't like Discord, one of my awesome readers Speedster (aka DebaterMax) has offered to mod a forum here on FFnet: triple w dot fanfiction dot net /forum /Obi-s-Gaming/231366/ (without spaces, I'm sure you can figure out the rest) Although I will likely change it from 'gaming' to more of a general discussion. If you'd like to check it out, feel free to do so. Just keep in mind, it's brand new and we're kind of playing this by ear seeing as I've never hosted a forum before. So yeah... questions, thoughts, ideas, events, even current events (PLEASE BE KIND) can be discussed there. Consider this in it's Alpha stage. lol
> 
> And for those of you who DO like Discord: discord.gg/cd7pNsBZj2 
> 
> Also, FANART! Aqua, another one of my awesome readers, spent a lot of time and effort to make her sims game very much like FFVII and here's the result: cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/728052442637271151/797603416644911214/image0.jpg
> 
> cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/728052442637271151/797603417392283688/image1.jpg
> 
> And even though it's not for this story in particular, this looks amazing! BBnB gave me permission to post this: media.discordapp.net/attachments/728052442637271151/802694445509771304/image0.jpg?width=784&height=585 FFVII characters in winter clothing. :3
> 
> Thank you all!


	24. Dreams and Planning Pt 1

Sephiroth didn't see Genesis or Angeal for the rest of the day, which wasn't entirely unexpected, if not his preference. Still, he didn't need the distraction as there was plenty of regular work to catch up on. The interview and training session with Cloud hadn't helped the backlog of forms, requests and updates on his desk, and aside from that break, he didn't have time to ponder the game further as he forced himself to focus on paperwork. The workload combined with the less-than-ideal sleep that morning meant that once he got back to his apartment, he plugged in Genesis' jammer, showered and then practically fell into bed, drifting off to sleep so quickly he barely remembered doing so.

Staying asleep, on the other hand…

He kept dreaming of the events of the game, seeing himself as if in real life, watching as President ShinRa slumped over, Masamune embedded in his back, or grinning as he lifted a giant snake into the air with his one, black wing before skewering it on a nearby tree, or obsessed with the tank in front of him and the demented figure it held. Then he'd see himself from the back, and run at himself with the buster sword in his hand, aimed for the small of his own back, piercing it...

He woke in a cold sweat, feeling his stomach desperately, relieved when he found no stab wound. That had been too real to just be a dream… He could have sworn… He vaguely remembered he'd had similar dreams the previous night, but not near as... visceral or intense.

Sephiroth sat there on his bed for several seconds, forcing his body to calm as he checked the clock. 2 am. He let out a tired sigh. He didn't want to return to sleep, but Angeal would definitely be upset if he didn't get more than a couple of hours again. And he was right. Sephiroth needed it. So, hesitantly, he forced himself to lay back down and still his body and mind. It took him longer than he'd like to admit – his normal training to fall asleep quickly failing several times – but eventually he drifted off again.

Then he dreamed. Of little Cloud, all wide eyes and hero worship as he tried to swing a sword, surrounded by the green of the Lifestream. He blinked. In the boy's place stood the teen he'd just met in an infantryman's outfit, but instead of a sword, he held a standard issue gun, more confused and lost than anything. Then Sephiroth blinked again and in the teen's place he saw a young man, expression still clueless and confused, but he had Angeal's Buster Sword strapped across his back and wore a typical SOLDIER First outfit. The blond glanced over and saw Sephiroth, glowing blue eyes (SOLDIER eyes) widening in surprise, and then falling into an expression of utter loathing as he drew the sword and held it in front of him defensively. The same stance Sephiroth had seen dozens of times in the game.

Sephiroth blinked again and Cloud had changed once more. More details stood out to Sephiroth for some reason, a thought of how odd that was passing through his mind but gone the next instant as he scrutinized the new form. This time, Cloud's expression could have been carved from stone for all the emotion he showed. His body moved with the grace and confidence of a SOLDIER First. His clothing reflected that of someone who had heavily modified his ShinRa uniform for both style and comfort. He wore one pauldron and an accompanying long sleeve over his left arm. His right was bare up to the shoulder except for the glove he wore on his hand. A silver wolf had been fixed to the black knit fabric just below the pauldron. He didn't wear the typical pants of a SOLDIER uniform, not as loose but still allowing for movement, tucked into black boots, just as a SOLDIER would. The one part of the outfit that seemed to be purely for style was a long piece of material hanging from his waist over one leg and around the back. It billowed when he walked, much like a trench coat would.

_C_ _ertainly dramatic enough for a SOLDIER Firs_ _t_ , Sephiroth thought, a little surprised at how… _conscious_ the thought had been.

This Cloud still held his sword – different from the Buster, more streamlined and complex – in front of him warily, but he paused when Sephiroth didn't attack. Then he cocked his head to one side, eyes narrowing as if puzzling something out.

"You're not him, are you," he said finally in a voice far deeper than the child Sephiroth had just met. It wasn't a question.

The Silver General didn't know how to respond to that.

"Not yet," the blond continued. Then, slowly, he put his sword on his back, movements flowing like a warrior, familiar with his weapon and the limitations of his body. "Hopefully not ever."

Sephiroth glanced around again, but while he still got a sense of the misty green of the Lifestream, all he saw was white. His nose tingled with the impression of earthy – almost sickly – sweet smell like... the church. He shifted, then knew he stood on something without actually feeling it. Flowers. So many flowers...

"Oh," was all he could seem to make himself say. He didn't know what to make of any of this. He wondered if Aerith would show up next.

"She couldn't come," Cloud said, as if reading his thoughts. "There was only enough energy to send one, and even now I can't interact with the world as often as I'd like. Only in certain… capacities."

"You aren't making much sense," Sephiroth pointed out, annoyed.

The blond shrugged. "I probably make more sense than she would."

And what was _that_ supposed to mean?

Sephiroth realized he was getting frustrated, took a deep breath and let his mind drift for a moment, pushing the frustration to the side. Simple to do in a dream. Then he assessed his situation, starting at the beginning.

He was dreaming. He could tell that much at least. Hojo hadn't wanted him to control his dreams for some reason, so he'd never had much of an opportunity to master lucid dreaming, unfortunately. However, sometimes he could force more consciousness into his dream state.

He looked at the man in front of him. This Cloud was a part of his dream, but he seemed so different from either the Cloud from the game and the Cadet Cloud he'd just met. Which meant…

"You're from after the game; from the future," he said. A specter his mind had conjured up to speak with, a Cloud that had survived the game. A Cloud he hadn't killed.

"I somehow always forget how intelligent you are," Cloud said, eyes narrowed again. Then he shook his head and crossed his arms.

"It's the insanity," Sephiroth deadpanned, hoping that he kept both the fear he felt regarding his potential future and the pity he felt towards this man in check behind the mask of annoyance.

Cloud didn't seem to know what to make of his comment, just staring at Sephiroth, blinking his glowing, SOLDIER eyes for several seconds. Then he blew out a breath.

"Surreal," he muttered. "Like I've dived into the life stream… again."

Sephiroth felt his own eyes widen. "That sounds… hazardous."

Cloud snorted. When he looked back at Sephiroth he seemed… amused, despite the fact that little had changed in his expression. Sephiroth wondered how he could read the man so well, then figured it was because his subconscious had conjured him up. Otherwise, he doubted he'd be able to. If young Cloud grew into something like this, he'd likely not be able to understand him so well.

He got the impression that the blond had heard Sephiroth's thoughts again because he scowled. The first real emotion he'd seen from the man.

"I know you don't mean to, but stop trying to read me. You're tapping into a power you don't want to mess with."

Sephiroth blinked. "But you're a figment of my imagination." It seemed this Cloud could read his thoughts, meaning the tapping was going the other way too. Or it meant this was exactly what this was: a dream.

Cloud didn't roll his eyes in annoyance, but Sephiroth got yet another impression that it had been a near thing.

"Great," the blond said with a shake of his head. Then he looked back at Sephiroth. "Just… don't."

Well, that made no sense. Then again, this was likely his mind reacting to recent events, few of which made sense, so maybe it was a little understandable. Of course, that just brought said events to mind and it made him feel so… _tired_.

"How am I supposed to take any of this?" he asked the apparition. "Born from a monster – an _alien_ , if the game is to be believed – killed and yet somehow not. I don't want power to rule the world. Why would that change?"

The blond scowled. "You were not born from that _thing_."

Sephiroth waved his hand dismissively. "Yes, yes. I need to look into that Lucrecia, but the point still stands."

"No, it doesn't."

The silver-haired man paused turning his gaze to a scowling Cloud.

"You are only a monster if you allow yourself to be – if you choose to be." The blond's eyes narrowed in threat as he stepped up to Sephiroth. Somehow, the SOLDIER First found himself surprised that the man was much shorter than him. He'd seemed larger, somehow. As large as himself or Angeal. "And if you choose to be again, I will stop you again. Permanently."

Sephiroth blinked as he thought over that threat. Then his shoulders relaxed and he nodded.

"Good," he said.

That seemed to take Cloud aback. He straightened and then leaned back from Sephiroth as if making sure he was seeing things correctly.

"Good?" he finally asked, hesitantly.

Sephiroth nodded. "The person from the game… I don't want to become him."

Cloud's face went blank again. Then his eyebrows drew towards each other just a little. "Then why did you?"

The silver-haired man blinked. "I didn't." He wouldn't.

Would he?

The blond tipped his head to the side, the puzzlement back. Finally he shook his head. "If you don't want to turn to that, don't hate. Or, at least, don't let it consume you. People have done you wrong, I can admit that. Hojo, ShinRa… Jenova. Anyone would be angry. Anyone would hate what those _people_ ," he spat the term as if it were poison, "did to you. But the minute that becomes your drive – your reason for existing… that is the moment I will come for you."

He sighed and ran a hand through his spiky hair (how did he do that? Was his hair naturally like that? How was that even possible? What a… frustrating dream). "It's up to you whether you forgive them or not. Gaia knows I never wanted to forgive you. But I tried not to let hate drive me." He clenched his fist, looking frustrated. "There was always someone to protect… living people and memories. There was always something to feel guilty about." He looked down at his gloved hand, opening it and closing it as if seeing the appendage for the first time. "Maybe I'm just different because I hated myself more than I ever hated you."

"That… still doesn't sound healthy," Sephiroth said slowly.

Cloud snorted and dropped his hand. "I've never been healthy." He turned and looked off into the distance, as if seeing something in the white (green?) expanse. Sephiroth followed his gaze but found nothing. "In the right circumstances, I could have been just as dangerous for the planet as you were, I suppose."

Sephiroth shifted, the only sign he would allow to show his discomfort at the casual mention.

"Am I really… so dangerous?" he asked. He'd had his eyes opened recently as to how much damage he could do to opposing forces, but the planet itself? Directly? That was a little far-fetched, even for the game. "I'm sure I am not the only one who could use the black materia."

Cloud regarded him for several seconds. Then he shook his head again. "I shouldn't tell you this, but he asked me to take a chance on you. This is for him, not you… but yes. You don't need Meteor to completely destroy life on this planet. It's just the easiest way. Jenova has more power than you realize… more power than even Hojo realizes. If that… _thing_ ever fully wakes…" He sighed. "We don't have the kind of power the Ancients had to seal it away."

He glared at Sephiroth, who, for the first time, could see the similarities between this Cloud and what he'd glimpsed in the man from the game. "I've given you information – the key to destroying the world… again. At least this time I chose that instead of being coerced… or _forced_."

Sephiroth flinched.

Cloud's expression didn't lessen in intensity. "Consider it a test. So what will you do now?"

Somehow, the SOLDIER First got the impression that the blond would stop him from leaving the (still far too lucid) dreamscape if he answered that incorrectly. Despite being a construct of his own mind, this Cloud felt… powerful. He didn't flaunt it like Genesis would, didn't take comfort in it like Angeal did, he just accepted it as a fact – a tool he would use. Although Sephiroth was sure he could force himself to wake, he... didn't want to. Well, more accurately, he didn't want to disappoint even a made up copy of this man who he'd supposedly hurt so badly.

The problem was, he didn't exactly have an answer. What was he supposed to do? If he really drove himself hard and somehow tapped into this power Dream Cloud alluded to, he could destroy the world. Did this Cloud honestly expect him to try?

Probably.

The only answer he could really come up with was nothing. He would do nothing with the information Cloud had just given him. He'd just go on with his daily routine and, well…

"Play the game," he finally said. That's what he would do.

Cloud didn't respond for several seconds. Sephiroth clamped down on his urge to read the emotionless man who just stood there with arms crossed and enormous sword strapped on his back. He just studied Sephiroth for what felt like stretched hours. He must have found what he was looking for, though, because eventually he relaxed. It wasn't much, but the slightest amount of tension left his body.

He only answered with a nod.

The next thing Sephiroth knew, he was in his bed, waking up about fifteen minutes before the alarm went off.

For several seconds he just sat there, committing the dream to memory as best he could. Then he got up. He wasn't going to get back to sleep in fifteen minutes, so he may as well. And if doing so caused him to put strange dreams to the side to contemplate later, well, so much the better.

xXx

Angeal and Genesis both read over the report Sephiroth had for them as they sat at their traditional breakfast table, empty trays in front of them. Zack had decided to join them for their third day in a row in the commissary (Sephiroth hadn't spent so many days in a row in the common eating area since he'd been a Second), but since they hadn't realized he would be there, he'd have to wait for Angeal or Genesis to finish with their reports before he could read it. The SOLDIER Third sat with barely contained energy, switching between bouncing his knees, tapping his fingers against his leg and shoveling food down at a truly eye-opening rate as he waited.

Patience was, apparently, not his strong point.

Sephiroth couldn't say he was surprised.

Genesis finished his report first and set it down on the table, looking over at Zack as he perked up but merely tapping the paper, as if daring the boy to take it. The dark-haired teen frowned and slumped a little. Sephiroth rolled his eyes at the display. Genesis was enjoying teasing the boy a little too much.

"So," the red-head said, not taking his eyes off of Zack who huffed and folded his arms, "you think the boy has talent?"

Sephiroth nodded. "He is a fast learner, although I hypothesize that he has problems with authority he doesn't respect. More than one of his superiors has complained about his defiance."

"Hmm," Genesis confirmed quietly. "Yes, I did notice that. Few reprimands, but many… frustrated comments."

"How does this fit into our plans?" Angeal asked as he finally finished reading his and handed it over to Zack, who took it eagerly.

"What even _are_ our plans?" the younger SOLDIER asked as he began to read the report. Sephiroth raised an eyebrow. Did he want an answer, or to read the report?

"Just a moment," Genesis said, then reached into his pocket. After a couple of seconds, he nodded. The jammer Sephiroth had returned to him when they'd initially met that morning had been turned on again, apparently. "I think it goes without saying that we need to… check the areas from the game. There are too many inconsistencies for us not to, but too many secrets and consistencies to dismiss anything."

"I vote Seph doesn't go to Nibelheim," Zack said, rather impressively not taking his eyes off of the paper but keeping up with the conversation anyway.

Sephiroth didn't flinch, either at the shortened name (really?) or at the mention of the town where he would supposedly go crazy. Genesis rolled his eyes then scowled at Zack.

"No, puppy, we didn't account for that potential. Of course we will send Sephiroth right into the very situation we were trying to avoid."

Zack held up one hand in surrender, even if he _still_ didn't look up at Genesis… who was getting rather annoyed. Sephiroth was unsure why he found that amusing. And a little impressive that Zack could at least somewhat keep track of their conversation while he read the report.

"Just making sure we're on the same page here," he said.

"What do we do after we have checked the problems from the game?" Angeal interjected before Genesis could say something scathing. The thespian harrumphed and sat back in his seat with his arms folded, pouting (not that he'd admit it).

Sephiroth ignored him, focusing on Angeal's question. "We fix them."

Angeal looked surprised. Out of the corner of his eye, Sephiroth saw Genesis turning to him and even Zack looked up from the report.

"We… fix them," the older brunet repeated.

"What… _exactly_ do we fix?" Genesis asked. "Ninety percent of the problems in the game were caused by the very company we work for. The last ten percent by that rather nasty alien… thing."

"I think it's more of a third each with Hojo," Angeal muttered. Sephiroth was more inclined to agree with that.

The Silver General folded his hands and brought them up in front of his mouth, thinking. "We have to take care of Jenova… and Hojo."

Genesis sat forward, looking interested but shocked. Angeal's eyes nearly bugged out of his head, flabbergasted. Zack's jaw dropped open.

"Wait, you mean we—"

" _Zack!_ " Angeal said, holding a fist up in front of his student. To his credit, he shut his mouth.

"Yes," Sephiroth said, simply.

"Just like that?" Genesis asked. "No plan, no caution, no nothing? Just walk up to the man and…"

Sephiroth shook his head. "No. But we will need more information before we make any… arrangements. I will be looking into that today, myself."

Everyone else exchanged looks.

"Um… maybe you should wait until one of us is with you… you know… to look through it," Zack said slowly, unsurely.

"I vote one of the two of us… at least," Genesis said, gesturing to himself and Angeal. The puppy looked like he wanted to protest but thought better of it. It made sense seeing as Zack was a Third and likely wouldn't be able to do much if Sephiroth started… acting strangely. And going through information in the first place had been what had pushed his game self over the edge, so he understood why they wanted to proceed with caution. He may not like it, but he understood it.

So he looked over at his red-headed friend. "You said you leave for the Northern continent next week? We will need to make an attempt to both gather and look through the information before then."

Genesis nodded. "And play the game. And investigate, seeing as Angeal said he's going to take the puppy to the Rocket Build on a mission about the same time I will be heading up north."

"Wait, what?" Zack asked, turning to his mentor to stare incredulously.

"I was going to tell you about it today," Angeal said with a sigh.

"So we're going to kill the… undead alien virus thing?" he gestured between himself and his mentor.

It was everyone else's turn to look at him.

"What?" he asked.

"Why did you call it that?" Genesis asked, sounding intrigued.

Zack rubbed the back of his head. "Well, it's in people's bodies, right? And it has weird properties. Like, despite it coming from something that was buried and dead for a millennia, it's still somehow active. It changes people, enhances them, but then they go through a mental or physical breakdown. So… like a sickness, but undead and an alien."

That was… actually, surprisingly well thought out.

Apparently, Genesis thought so too, because he actually laughed. "Well said, puppy. Well said."

"Um… thanks?"

"In any case," Angeal cut in again, drawing everyone back to the problem at hand. "While Zack and I take care of that thing—"

"How?" Zack asked.

Angeal, visibly upset at being interrupted, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then he turned to Zack, who had the good grace to look a little sheepish.

"What?" the mentor asked.

"How do we take care of it?"

"I say burn it," Genesis said. "Enough fire will take care of most anything biological that isn't fire based itself. Enough Fire 3's and that should accomplish your task."

Angeal looked thoughtful at that. Then he nodded. "Good idea. Even if its cells are still alive or undead somehow, I'd like to see it do something after it's been burnt to a crisp."

"And throw whatever's left in an incinerator," Zack muttered. Then he glanced up at his mentor, gaze firm. "Do not throw the rest of it into the reactor. There was a lot in the game that... It's still Mako – part of the planet's life-force or whatever. I don't think we should take chances."

That was a little paranoid of the boy, but Sephiroth could see the sense of erring on the side of caution. And if something in his own game had spooked him, maybe the idea wasn't so far-fetched.

"I agree," he finally said.

"Good," Zack agreed with a nod. Then he leaned forward, chin propped up on his hand. "What about the other problems?"

"You mean Hojo and the oth—" Genesis started, but Sephiroth cut him off, noticing a couple of blue suits entering the cafeteria, focused on their PHS's.

"Not here. Let's head to my office."

Because jammed or not, he wasn't willing to take a chance with Turks. Speaking about things most people would have little context for if they did overhear a snippet or two, he could put up with. Blatantly speaking about heads in the company and potentially planning their demise? No.

One elevator ride later, that would have been awkward if not for Zack continuing to read the report and making amusing small thoughtful noises, they all gathered in the Silver General's office. Genesis immediately took the lone chair in front of the desk, leaving the other two to stand. Angeal rolled his eyes at that while Zack scowled, then shrugged and just leaned against the wall.

"Do we _now_ get to discuss the other problems we seem to be facing?" Genesis asked as he took off one glove and examined his nails.

"Do we even have enough time to discuss them all?" Zack asked dryly.

He had a point.

"From what I can see, our largest problems stem from Jenova," Sephiroth said as calmly as he could while taking his own seat behind his desk.

"Jenova wouldn't have been a problem without Hojo and Hollander," Zack said. And, again, he had a point.

Angeal seemed to think so too, because he let out a weary sigh. "True. But they wouldn't have been a problem at all without ShinRa."

"So," Genesis said softly, "it is back to treason."

The room fell silent.

"What can we do about ShinRa?" Zack asked, his voice also unusually quiet. "We could take the company out, but…"

"That would create a power vacuum at best, destabilize entire cities – entire _continents_ – at worst," Genesis pointed out.

The younger SOLDIER looked down, troubled. "We can't just do _nothing_ ," he said.

"We could leave," Sephiroth said, looking at Angeal, expecting his friend to object. The brunet never would have put the option out there. Not unless he'd reconciled the suggestion with his ideal of honor. Their gazes met and Angeal looked away. He wasn't objecting. Unexpected but not unwelcome.

Again, the room fell into silence.

"The problem with that," Angeal spoke up, still sounding tired, "is that we wouldn't have access to the kind of medical facilities SOLDIERS need."

Sephiroth nodded. "True. But I suspect we may not be as… dependent on the facilities as we have been led to believe. I planned on trying to get information from the science department anyway. I will make sure to look into how feasible the idea really is."

Then, to Sephiroth's surprise, Zack spoke up, looking directly at Genesis. "What about the degradation?"

The other three SOLDIERS stared blankly at him.

He realized they had no idea what he was talking about and his own eyes widened in surprise. "You guys don't know about that?"

"Our respective games seem to cover different areas and time-periods," Sephiroth said. "So what is this… degradation?"

Zack opened his mouth, looked at Genesis and then closed it again. Then he opened his mouth, looked up with a frown, and closed it, scratching his head.

"I'm… not really sure," he finally said. "It's something Hollander did to Genesis and I think Angeal though."

"What?!" Genesis and Angeal said at the same time.

"It's like… I…" he looked back and forth between Angeal and Genesis like he didn't know what to say.

So Sephiroth spoke up first. "Genesis and Angeal were featured in your game?"

Zack looked a little relieved at being relegated to answering questions. "Yeah," he confirmed. "Um… Genesis was the bad guy."

"What?!" Genesis exclaimed while Angeal's mouth dropped open.

"Well, the degradation had to do with G-cells – which both you and Angeal have."

The other three SOLDIERS continued to stare.

"What are 'G-cells'?" Sephiroth asked.

"'G' for Genesis?" Genesis asked, looking a little sick.

Zack shook his head and glanced nervously at Angeal. "Um… no. 'G' for… um… Gillian."

Each silence seemed somehow more tense than the last, and this one was no different. Angeal pushed off of the wall, staring at Zack as if seeing him for the first time.

"My mother?" Angeal asked.

Zack, looking nervous, nodded. "Yeah. She was… part of the experiment. From what I understand, they put Jenova cells inside her and then the cells merged somehow with her body and became G-cells."

This time both Genesis and Angeal looked horrified.

"Jenova cells…" Genesis started. "You mean we have that… that _thing_ inside _us_ too?!"

The younger SOLDIER looked pained as he shrugged, "Kind of, I guess? I mean, they didn't exactly explain it in the game. But what I got was that when Jenova cells are put inside someone, they create a new type of cell. I don't know how or why. The only ones the scientists named, though, were G-cells and…" he paused and looked over at Sephiroth, almost pityingly. "S-cells."

Sephiroth wasn't entirely sure what to make of that, so he pushed any emotional reaction to the side and tried to look at it objectively. "All this will be in your report?" he asked.

Zack nodded. "Yeah."

"Hmm," Sephiroth responded with a nod of his own. "So I seem to have those cells placed directly in my body, thus creating a new type of cells, while Genesis and Angeal have already mutated cells."

"Second hand," Genesis said, sounding disgusted.

"My mother… knew?" Angeal sounded so lost.

Zack seemed like he wanted to say something, but was unsure whether he should or not. Finally, he must have decided to go with it because he spoke up.

"When you confronted her about it – in the game – she… kind of… um… killed herself."

"My mother would never do that!" Angeal practically shouted.

Zack shrunk back, eyeing his mentor warily – defensively. The motions didn't fit him. Angeal must have realized that he'd scared his student because he backed down, putting one gloved hand to the bridge of his nose.

"I'm… sorry, Zack. I didn't mean to yell at you."

"Yeah, well… it's not exactly easy to hear," Zack responded, bouncing right back. Any trace of fear had left his body and he just seemed sympathetic to Angeal. This child...

"How was I involved with the G-cells?" Genesis asked, frowning.

Zack shook his head. "I don't know. They said something about taking her cells and mapping them onto you either as a baby or a… um… fetus. Whatever 'mapping' means. Most of the sciency-stuff went over my head, but I'll be sure to include anything I don't understand in the report, 'cause it's probably important. If you want I can try to answer some of it now?"

And Sephiroth had honestly thought they'd heard the worst of what ShinRa and its scientists had done. Somehow, hearing what had been done to his friends just made what had been done to him seem worse.

"What does this have to do with 'degradation'?" The Silver General asked, trying to keep everyone on track.

"Well, whatever they did… um…" Zack seemed to think about what he needed to say and frowned. "In the game, you three were sparring and Genesis' shoulder got cut somehow. And honestly, with how many hits you just _tanked_ , it was kind of surprising that's _all_ you had."

Genesis didn't seem to know exactly how to take that, so Zack went on.

"Anyway… it… um… didn't heal."

The red-head frowned. "I'm a SOLDIER First. I heal very quickly."

Zack nodded. "Which was why it was so weird. The degradation stopped you from healing and somehow it gave you a wing."

This was getting more and more ridiculous.

"A… wing?" Genesis asked.

Zack nodded. "Yours was black. Angeals' were white."

"Wait, I get wings too?" the larger SOLDIER asked, astounded.

"Yeah. You get a big one and a small one, on the same side. You both could fly with them."

More stares and blank blinks. " _How_?" Genesis asked, incredulous.

Zack shrugged helplessly. "I don't know! It didn't make sense to me either, but you could even carry other people if you wanted to. Well, Angeal could."

This sounded like a much larger potential problem getting in the way of them leaving than anything else Sephiroth could think of.

"We will need medical facilities then," he said, disappointed.

"Why?" Zack asked, sounding suddenly bitter, "It's not like ShinRa, Hojo or Hollander care if the degradation heals or not."

"Why not?" Angeal asked, affronted.

Zack shrugged, although the Silver General could tell he was forcing it. "They only care what the results of their experiments are."

Sephiroth could definitely see that from the different scientists.

"I think we've discussed this enough," he finally said. "We've gotten new information, we need to examine it and understand the implications. I'm sure your report will help with this, Zack." The SOLDIER Third nodded, determinedly. "Right now, we need to go about the rest of the day as we normally would. I will finish my paperwork, Genesis will work on his materia theories, Angeal will train Zack and the other SOLDIERS. The most we can do today specifically is preparation work for me to get the information from the Science department and for one of you to stop and talk to Tuesti.

"Tonight, we will meet after we finish for the day, and we will play the game." As much as he didn't want to. The idea of going back to the game after everything that had happened in it did not appeal. Even if he had enjoyed the 'hanging out' part of it.

Genesis huffed. "So which one of us will go to speak to the man while you 'look' into the Science department?"

"I think Angeal should talk to him," Sephiroth said. He may still be upset about the betrayal in the game, but he was professional enough to put that to the side.

"Wait, who?" Zack asked. So his game hadn't had Tuesti in it. Interesting.

"Take Zack," Sephiroth said. If nothing else, it would be a reminder to remain civil. Not that he thought Angeal would have a problem, but they weren't the only ones who wanted to practice caution.

The larger SOLDIER nodded firmly and Zack nodded determinedly.

Sephiroth returned the gesture, then decided to voice one final thought he'd decided on. "I also plan to put in my recommendation to take Cloud on as a student."

Silence.

"Wait, what?!" Zack asked.

The Silver General met the gaze of each of his subordinates. "In less than a decade, according to the game, most of us are gone. Perhaps dead, perhaps just missing, but we have to assume dead for now, as much as I do not like entertaining that thought. I am the only one who remains, and even that seems to be in question. And if I do remain, I am, apparently, insane. Cloud, on the other hand, lives. If, for some reason, the events of the game do come true, and we cannot stop them, we need a contingency plan. In the game, Cloud doesn't have the abilities or qualifications to take on any of us – either too inexperienced or not well trained enough. I intend to remedy that."

The quiet that followed seemed awkward somehow.

"You want to train someone to… kill you?" Angeal asked, voice soft and worried.

"Potentially," Sephiroth said. "Although I do hope it will be unnecessary."

Then he turned to Zack. "I don't know how patient I will be with his level and progress. Could I ask that you teach him the basics initially?" He glanced at Angeal. "If that is okay with you."

If anything, the boy looked… angry at the suggestion.

"Zack?" Angeal asked, concerned.

"I am _not_ training _anyone_ to kill their mentor!" he said through gritted teeth. "No one should have to go through that!"

Yet again, silence fell.

Sephiroth felt both frustrated and understanding – upset and pitying. It was a strange dichotomy. He couldn't say he liked it.

"It needs to be done," the Silver General finally said, looking Zack directly in the eye.

The boy stood with his hands clenched at his sides, the very picture of defiance. He would not capitulate, Sephiroth could see. He resigned himself to figuring out how to teach basics that he hadn't had to think about for over a decade. He hoped he'd done an acceptable job the other day, but he'd never really had to teach before, and it worried him. He'd hoped he wouldn't have to take on that worry on top of everything else.

Finally Zack shook his head. "No. I'm not gonna train him to kill you!"

Sephiroth repressed a sigh.

"Zack," Angeal started, but the boy cut him off.

"We're gonna train him so that he's so good he won't _have_ to, even if something does happen! He's gonna be better than all of us _combine_ _d_ ," he paused, then frowned. "Which probably isn't impossible with Jenova involved," he added on as a very disturbing but not untrue afterthought.

More staring and blinks. And then Genesis snorted, Angeal shook his head with a fond smile, and Sephiroth relaxed a little.

"That is acceptable, Zachary Fair."

The younger SOLDIER nodded firmly at the Silver General.

"And _please_ get that report to us as soon as possible," Angeal said. "The more you say about it, the more worried I get."

Zack nodded at his mentor, then frowned… was he pouting?

"So I don't get to come to the game session tonight?"

This.

Child.

Sephiroth felt the sides of his mouth twitch upward. "You may join us in my apartment when you finish the report, if you can find a replacement device for your game by the time we're off, _and_ finish an outline at minimum. If you cannot find one, then I still expect an outline first," he conceded.

"And only if it's before midnight," Angeal said pointedly to his student… the hypocrite.

Zack nodded eagerly.

"And if you get all of your other duties done. Including at least two missions."

"Yes, sir!" Zack said, saluting crisply… with a huge smile on his face.

Sephiroth shook his head (hiding the smile as best he could without drawing attention to it) and reached for his own stack of paperwork. "We can discuss more either tonight or tomorrow, once we have more information. Until then, I believe we should return to our jobs. If you need extra breaks today, feel free to take them. Just, please be responsible," he said as he shot a warning look at Genesis, who raised his hands in surrender as he rose to his feet.

He watched them file out of the room and shut the door behind them, Zack practically rushing out, Angeal following with a troubled expression and then, finally Genesis, looking contemplative. Sephiroth let out a sigh as they left. Then he looked at the pile of papers that had been stacked on his desk and sighed again.

Today would be a long day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Sooooo... a long chapter for you today! Mainly because I'm going to be going on Hiatus for a week or two. According to my beta reader: Y'all are getting at least three extra pages to tide you over! No complaining!
> 
> But all joking aside, I just need some time to write other things and this. I mean, 10 pages a week,e very week for the last 6 months... Yeah. Just need a bit of a break but I should be back soon. :)
> 
> Now, we have AWESOME fanart to share! From chapter 8:
> 
> sta.sh/0dr9do1yen7 That last note just KILLED me. But man, what a way to go. *makes undead noises*
> 
> *ahem*
> 
> In any case, I'd like to thank my awesome and AMAZING beta reader Imagination7413 who went through this MULTIPLE TIMES with a fine-toothed comb. I cannot thank her enough. (string of hearts here)
> 
> And thank you to my discord community. I really love hearing the feedback from all of you and see the different theories everyone comes up with. :D I know it's not for everyone, though, and I love everyone who reads and comments here too. :D So yeah, thank you!
> 
> Discord: discord.gg/esVSuhAXdg


	25. This Mission, Should You Choose To Accept It...

Sephiroth sat back and glared at his computer, as if his stare alone could melt the display down into lumps of plastic and metal.

He'd never considered himself particularly talented at coding. Oh, he could do it as well as he needed to… but that was just it, he never needed to. Or rarely, in any case. He felt similarly about hacking. He really only knew the basics and a handful of some intermediate techniques.

ShinRa had experienced a Cyber scare just after he'd been officially inducted into SOLDIER. From what he understood, the President had been upset about how few people knew enough with the newest updates concerning cybernetics to hire. Hojo had bragged how Sephiroth could learn whatever he needed to in a fraction of the time and the next thing he'd known, he'd been shoved into a class on it.

The class had been rushed and honestly more of a stop-gap than anything else, so while it hadn't been a problem for Sephiroth to keep up, it hadn't been as… _useful_ as it should have been. It had covered the fundamental principles well enough, though, so he'd honestly thought the knowledge he'd taken from that class would be enough to at least try to explore the option of simply hacking into the science lab, but… he'd been wrong. He hadn't realized computer language – computers themselves, to be honest – had changed _that_ much in just five years. But it had.

So he had a couple of choices. He could spend the next week reading up and learning everything he could about hacking today's computers, or he could find another way to get the information he needed sooner. Hojo would be gone until next week, but he did not like the idea of putting this off for even that long. The sooner they got the information the better. Unfortunately, the more he thought about it, the more he realized he would have to visit the Science labs himself. As soon as possible. Without an appointment.

Which would draw a large amount of attention that he really could _not_ afford. He had to get this information without letting the President or Hojo know about it. At least not yet. That meant he needed to avoid involving the Turks and likely everyone else on the board. Up to and including Lazard. He respected the man, but that didn't mean he trusted him with something like this. He had no delusions: the scientist would learn about any visit he made to the labs. So he had to find a legitimate reason to visit them.

The idea of him voluntarily going up there for anything about himself was about as repugnant as it was certain to draw attention, but perhaps if he asked after one of the other SOLDIERS? But about what? Unless it was nigh unto a life-or-death situation… of which they were rather short on at the moment. And he wasn't about to _create_ one of those. Plus, he didn't like the idea of drawing attention to anyone in SOLDIER, especially not from anyone in the science labs.

Why else would he visit the science floor though? Unless a 'specimen' escaped (difficult to do without being caught) or a mission of some sort that required high-level information…

That he could order if he needed to…

He didn't have to find a reason, he could _create_ a reason. He wouldn't even need to inform Lazard. It wasn't a privilege of his position he often had to utilize, although he'd had to on occasion. So, while it might draw attention, it would be manageable.

A plan began to form in his mind.

But he'd still need help. He'd have to ask Angeal or Genesis if they knew of anyone who could meet his criteria later.

It only took him a couple of minutes to put the mission he had in mind into the system – a false mission he could easily pass off (and maybe double in use for their own means) – then sign himself up to prep said mission. Then he assigned Genesis to supposedly execute the mission and printed it off.

Within ten minutes, he found himself smiling in satisfaction as he strode out of his office with papers in hand, locking the door behind him.

xXx

"Sephiroth," Angeal said, looking up from where he and a panting Zack had been sparring. "What's wrong?"

In response, Sephiroth just held the mission report out to him and pointed to the relevant space. "I need someone who can help me… set up some details of this particular mission who… isn't a Turk."

Angeal blinked at the paper, then looked up at him. "Details? Are you looking for Turk- like skills then?"

Sephiroth nodded.

The brunet frowned. "So someone with the necessary skills whom we can trust that will keep all of _this_ quiet."

"Indeed," Sephiroth responded, pleased that his friend had caught on to the underlying message. "If you have someone you'd recommend, I will trust your judgment."

The larger man shot a warm smile at his friend before he took on a more thoughtful expression for several seconds. After a moment's contemplation, he smiled and looked pointedly at Zack.

The younger teen blinked. "Huh?"

"What about your tech friend, Kunsel?" Angeal's expression shifted to exasperated.

"Oh!" Zack's eyes widened. "You're right! Kunsel's perfect! Why didn't I think of that?"

Angeal snorted. "Be glad Genesis isn't here. He would have verbally eviscerated you for leaving yourself open like that."

"Heh, yeah," Zack grinned, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"Besides, I think you tend to take people's talents for granted," the mentor of the group stated, amused.

The puppy bristled. "I do not!"

Angeal laughed. "You take people as they are. You don't see any sort of potential to use them because you don't want to use them. I don't think that's a bad thing, Zack, but it does mean that you tend to look past how useful a friend can be in a given situation."

The younger boy frowned. "You think?"

"Kunsel?" Sephiroth broke in, wanting to get back to his reason for searching them out.

"He's a second. I… uh… don't know his family name." The sheepishness had returned.

It was a distinct enough name that Sephiroth didn't see a problem. "Do you trust him?"

Zack blinked. "Absolutely! The guy's great!"

The Silver General paused and scrutinized Zack. "Can you promise me he won't go to the Turks or Lazard if I present him with… sensitive information?" He trusted Angeal's judgment, and with the situation being what it was, Zack's as well, but he also felt that a verbal verification was appropriate.

Zack fell silent, taken aback as he caught on, and gave the question the thought it deserved. Then he nodded firmly. "Explain it to him, and he won't. You might owe him a small favor, but he's good on those!"

Sephiroth stared at Zack for a couple more seconds before he nodded and pulled out his PHS to look the SOLDIER up. "Very well. I'll go speak with him. Please, continue your training."

"See you tonight," Angeal said.

"Yeah," Zack agreed. "After I finish my report."

"And your missions, and finding a new game console… don't forget," Angeal admonished.

Zack sighed. "Yes, sir."

Sephiroth just nodded to them in farewell before leaving the practice room, already reading through SOLDIER second class Kunsel Kitesun's file.

xXx

Not having Hojo in the building was a boon Sephiroth found so convenient it was almost suspicious. Otherwise, getting this information would be infinitely more difficult. The scientist rarely left his labs unless absolutely necessary. Not to eat, or sleep (Sephiroth had seen the cot in his office that he used) and especially not to speak to anyone not involved in his experiments. Getting in and out of the Science lab without being intercepted by Hojo would be… difficult, even (maybe even _especially_ ) for him. Even now, he knew couldn't stop this from getting back to Hojo.

But now he could stop it from looking suspicious.

It felt strange to find he would be relying on someone relatively unknown for a mission for once. Usually he was the one everyone else relied on. He supposed there was no avoiding it, though. Not if he wanted to be both quick and thorough in an area that was most definitely not his expertise.

It took him a little while to find the SOLDIER he was looking for (his status was listed simply as 'standby: standard rotation' in the system), but eventually he found the man in a training room, leaving with another group of SOLDIERS, laughing and patting each other on the back.

Sephiroth felt a tug of satisfaction that his subordinates seemed to be getting along so well. Then he focused back on why he'd come and called out to them.

"Second Class, Kunsel?" he asked. Apparently, the boy had requested his family name not be mentioned aloud if possible due to Wutian heritage. Lazard was willing to humor him, so Sephiroth didn't see a reason not to. That and acquiescing to a small demand like that could certainly go far in persuading the boy to help him.

The entire group froze and looked over at him with wide eyes, each straightening up and saluting him. Then one of them stepped forward, not bothering to remove his helmet.

"Sir!" he said.

"You are Mr. Kunsel?" he asked.

"Sir, yes, sir!"

Sephiroth nodded. "At ease." Then he looked up at the others. "You are dismissed."

They looked hesitant, but did as ordered, leaving him and Kunsel alone in the hallway. Once he was certain they were alone, he held up the papers and handed them over.

"I am currently preparing a mission and need assistance with it."

The younger SOLDIER took the papers with a frown and looked over them. Then his frown deepened.

"The information required is not currently on a level I can access," he said, slowly, as if choosing his words very carefully. The older SOLDIER approved. Caution was a good sign.

"No," Sephiroth acquiesced and began walking down the hall, gesturing for Kunsel to follow. It would be difficult for anyone to really hear anything of use, electronic or otherwise, if they simply kept moving and avoided people. "That is why I need your expertise," he paused, thinking over his proposal and decided to explain first.

"Zachary Fair recommended I come to you," he said as he turned down a hallway that would lead them to the equipment room. "He said you could… be trusted."

He practically felt the SOLDIER stiffen behind him, but the boy didn't say anything, so he continued.

"I won't lie to you. I am… after some information. I do not want Professor Hojo to know that I have acquired such information."

A pause in which only their footfalls sounded.

Then, "What information, sir?"

He felt his fists tighten as he went over his answer to that in his mind. He didn't like it, but it needed to be said. He would simply have to keep it vague.

"You know that I was raised in ShinRa?" he asked, keeping his voice steady and measured.

"Yes," Kunsel said slowly.

"It has recently come to my attention that I was lied to about some… personal information. That is the information I wish to acquire."

Another long pause of silence.

"Do you… mind if I call Zack, sir?" he asked, voice quiet and wary, but not soft. "It isn't that I don't trust you, but…"

Yes, it was, and they both knew it. Sephiroth wasn't surprised. He would have done the same thing in the boy's place. Withholding a sigh, he nodded and fixed his gaze ahead.

After a moment, he heard some slow shuffling and a PHS flip open, then nothing but their tread for a few seconds. Was the boy thinking? Then, finally, dialing.

One ring. Two. Three. And on the fourth, he heard Zack pick up, his voice distant with a distinctly tin-like quality. " _Kunse_ _l!_ "

"Hi, Zack."

" _Hey, man! How are you?_ "

"I'm good." Kunsel responded, stepping back from Sephiroth and lowering his voice. "Well… you see, I'm with the General here. He said you recommended me for a mission?"

Sephiroth couldn't help himself from listening in and concentrated on hearing Zack's reply.

" _Oh, yeah. That's okay, right?_ " the Puppy asked, a little worried. " _I mean, he said he needed some help…"_

"Zack… this doesn't sound right. Do you know what kind of information he's talking about?" Kunsel asked, his voice quiet and he'd dropped to several paces behind the SOLDIER First, enough that a Second wouldn't be able to hear, and a First would likely have issues if someone spoke quietly enough… but Sephiroth wasn't a normal SOLDIER. He politely took a couple more steps and then waited, still listening in while pretending not to.

Genesis would be so proud.

Or smug.

He would never find out about this, Sephiroth vowed silently.

" _Yeah, I do,_ " was the firm response. " _It's… important that he gets it._ "

A pause.

"What kind of information?"

This time, it was Zack's turn to hesitate. " _I… don't think I can say. It's personal._ "

"I'm... not putting anyone in danger by helping cover this up from the Turks, am I?"

A pause. " _It would put more people in danger if we don't help him get it._ "

Kunsel pulled his PHS away from his head and stared at it in disbelief for a moment before putting it back to his ear. How he could hear with that helmet on, Sephiroth didn't know, but apparently he managed it.

"What have you gotten yourself mixed up in, Zack?"

More silence.

Then Zack answered, sounding nervous. " _Look, I gotta go._ _Angeal is giving me that face._ _You know, the one_ _that says I'd better get done with this soon?_ _B_ _ut..._ _I… Can you help him? Please? It's important, I promise._ "

"How important are we talking here?"

" _Like… save the world important?_ "

Kunsel's mouth worked in shocked silence for several seconds before he finally managed to hiss out, "Zack!"

" _It's not my secret to tell."_ That was… very mature of him. Sephiroth hadn't expected something like that from Zack, but he sounded so firm.

This child.

Kunsel sighed. "Fine, but you owe me. An explanation and a favor. And so will the General."

" _Usual rules?_ " Zack replied, voice cheery once again.

"Yeah." Kunsel shook his head. "Alright. I'll see you later, Zack."

" _Oh! Wait, wait, wait!_ " Kunsel's friend stopped him suddenly. " _I might need to owe you two. Do you know where I might be able to find a SGSP? Today? I_ _t's_ _also urgent and I_ _kinda broke mine._ "

The look of utter befuddlement on the younger SOLDIER's face that Sephiroth caught out of the corner of his eye was… amusing. Apparently, 'owing favors' was a rather big deal. It took him a couple of seconds to answer.

"Are you sure you… I mean…" Kunsel started, then sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I might, but call me back later, okay? I _am_ in the middle of something," the Second reminded.

" _You're the best, man!_ "

"Later," Kunsel said with a sigh and flipped his PHS closed. Then he took out a pocket-sized book and walked over to Sephiroth as he wrote in it. When he got there, he held it out. "If this is off the books, you owe me a favor."

Sephiroth frowned. "What kind of favor?" He'd considered asking Zack, when it had been mentioned, but held off. Better to get that information from the source.

"Usual rules. Can't be something that puts someone's life in danger, will try to give advance notice – general politeness after that, et cetera, et cetera and so forth. But this is big and if we don't want Turk involvement… well, you're lucky I carry a jammer around with me."

The Silver General blinked. The boy had a point about having his own jammer. Still... "What about the call? Couldn't they overhear that?"

Kunsel snorted. "If they can tap my PHS, they deserve the info." He held out the booklet.

Sephiroth blinked again.

"Why are you not a Turk?" he asked as he took the open book, skimming what Kunsel had written and found it a replica of what he'd just said aloud. He held out his hand for the pen and signed his name under the note that said 'one favor' in black ink.

Kunsel just smiled a little. "Turks put the company first. I don't. It's as simple as that."

"If I may ask, what is first?" the taller man asked, handing the notebook back.

The Second's smile turned grim. "My family and friends, then human lives. Then the company. On a good day."

"That… must make your job difficult," Sephiroth said slowly.

The boy took the book and shoved it into his uniform before he turned around and walked back the way they'd come.

"I'd say you have no idea, but somehow, I think you do, sir. We need to go back to the turn up there. I'm going to need to loop this feed and it'll be easier if I have something to loop it with. Namely, us walking down the hall and not stopping to talk on PHSs and generally freak out about something that may potentially be world ending."

Sephiroth felt his eyes widen, and then a smile came to his lips.

It seemed Zack and Angeal were right. Kunsel would be perfect.

The younger SOLDIER looked over his shoulder at Sephiroth, eyes narrowed for a bit, studying his commanding officer as if he'd just confirmed something. Had he suspected Sephiroth of eavesdropping, perhaps?

In turn, he raised an eyebrow pointedly, half in question, half in challenge.

Kunsel hummed a short chuckle and shook his head, but didn't say anything, instead turning to focus on the hall again.

Sephiroth was beginning to see why Zack had befriended the Second.

Re-walking the hall while explaining the basics in full view of the cameras and realizing he wouldn't have to worry, seemed almost surreal. These particular cameras were set at angles that would make lipreading impossible, so he wasn't concerned on that front, but their little talk was suspicious. He spared a thought to wonder how Kunsel's jammer compared to Genesis'.

"How long will it take for you to set this up?" Sephiroth asked after he'd explained. He and Kunsel walked out of the elevator they'd been taking.

Kunsel smirked and handed him an ear piece. "Give me half an hour."

Sephiroth's eyebrows rose again. "That short?"

"Let's just say I have the equipment in place." Kunsel smirked and offered him an _earpiece_ of all things. He'd just… had it on him? Like he also had a jammer on him?

The Silver General didn't say anything for several seconds, then accepted the device with a nod. "Very well." He could find out just _how much_ of a tech arsenal the boy had later.

"I _would_ like another half to go over the cameras and review blind spots with you." A very reasonable request. Sephiroth wondered what other surprises the youth kept.

He was rather glad this one seemed to be on their side.

xXx

The Silver General stood just outside the elevator on the Science floor, next to the wall but not leaning against it, his PHS out and at his ear. It connected to a burner number to record a call being placed to his own PHS, but there was no one on the other end of the line. Instead, he had turned on the small earpiece, which was, thankfully, almost invisible while in use. Sephiroth tried to keep his own comments and questions as short as possible as cameras _could_ definitely see him here. Thankfully, Kunsel tried – very successfully – to pose questions so that they could be answered in single syllables (frequently 'no').

Sephiroth had taken the standard security classes in deception and information gathering, as every SOLDIER had, but it had been long ago and was yet another skill he simply hadn't needed to rely on often, if ever. That was a Turk's job. Thankfully. He didn't find it difficult to pull annoyed expressions for the cameras: the necessity of this subterfuge _was_ mildly irritating. Kunsel had seen him fairly early into their 'conversation' and had told him to play it up. He did so by taking deep, calming breaths a couple of times and even rolled his eyes once. He hoped that would be enough.

" _Almost done_ ," the Second _finally_ reported, " _you can start heading in_."

He began walking towards the labs, though slower than he normally would, as if he were still preoccupied by whatever imaginary rant was aimed at him on his PHS.

" _Give me a few… More seconds…."_ Kunsel muttered. Sephiroth could hear the rapid clacking of a keyboard in the background.

" _Aaand… I'm in!"_

"I am fully confident you can take care of this yourself," Sephiroth said for the cameras then shut his PHS and picked up speed as he put it in his pocket.

" _Ooo, I even have access to the alarm systems! No extra hacking required!"_

Sephiroth didn't answer, but he was pretty sure Kunsel had set it up that way when he'd set everything up initially.

 _What kind of information_ _does_ _he have_ , the Silver General wondered, and resolved to ask the boy when he could.

Then he was striding into the ShinRa Science Department Main Laboratories, shoving his uneasiness and disgust down. He held his head high and focused his gaze on the first assistant unfortunate enough to meet his eyes. The lab assistant looked somewhere between gobsmacked and terrified.

"S-sephiroth… Sir?" he squeaked out. The man in question rolled his eyes.

"I have a mission, and I need someone with ultraviolet level clearance."

The aid's eyes bugged out and he couldn't even seem to answer verbally as he nodded emphatically and scurried away. Sephiroth waited calmly, ignoring the looks the other aids shot him before going about their business.

Of course, since Hojo wasn't there, it would be the second most despicable person in the Science Department that came to see him, looking particularly grumpy.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Hojo's little pet project," he said, voice dripping with disdain. "What do you need so desperately to call _me_ away from _my_ work?"

He was honestly just about as bad as Hojo.

"Professor Hollander," Sephiroth said, making sure to keep his voice calm. "A report came in with the description of a former subject from the science lab being spotted in the Eastern Grasslands. I need information on the subject before I can send one of my SOLDIERS out to confront it."

The man frowned as he looked over the paperwork. Then his face twisted in rage as he looked up at Sephiroth.

"You're sending Genesis? _My_ SOLDIER to confront it?"

Sephiroth shrugged. "All the more reason to get me the necessary information."

The man looked ready to explode, but Sephiroth simply blinked at him expectantly.

"And Hojo thinks you're superior," Hollander spat before turning and stalking down the hall to one of the side offices. Sephiroth followed, not letting any of his disgusted confusion show on his face. What did his need of information have to do with his superiority or lack thereof?

Scientists. Only logical when it suited them in Sephiroth's experience. Perhaps they operated on game 'logic' (insanity)? What a terrifyingly plausible thought.

Hollander stalked into his private workspace and up to his desktop computer, plopping angrily down in the seat and slamming his fingers angrily on the keyboard to bring up the log-in page. At first glance, Sephiroth could see why someone like President ShinRa would choose Hojo to be the head scientist over this man… although in this case, it didn't seem like there was a lesser of two evils, only differing ones.

Sephiroth carefully watched the keystrokes as the man typed in his password. It was a seemingly random series of numbers and letters, but he could remember it. Excellent. Objective one, accomplished.

After several minutes of uncomfortable silence, Hollander hit the print key even harder and then turned to the printer in the room, practically tearing the pages away from the machine as they came out. Then he thrust them at Sephiroth, _very_ deliberately _not_ looking at him as an intentional (very petty) insult.

"Anything _else_ I can help you with?" he asked in snide sarcasm, eyes pointedly on a wall clock.

Before Sephiroth could reply, Kunsel spoke in his ear. _"_ _Golden opportunity._ _I'm setting it off_ _now_ _."_

The Silver General nearly yelled out in surprise. That had _not_ in the plan. They were supposed to wait until Sephiroth was on his way out of the lab before the alarm would be set off. However, there was nothing he could do about it now. Thankfully, he caught himself at the last moment even as a flurry of clacking rattled in his ear. It only took him a second to recover and shake his head at Hollander as he took the papers, very glad the man's sulking had kept his gaze away.

"No. That will be—"

The alarm went off and both of them turned to the hallway.

"Oh, what _now_?!" Hollander asked, rushing out. He just left his computer completely open. Sephiroth blinked after him, then looked back at the computer, almost not believing his good fortune. Hojo would have remembered to lock the computer again.

" _Sir! This is perfect! The room camera isn't on the door, so put your papers in the corner to your left,_ " Kunsel hissed excitedly. That brought Sephiroth back to the here and now. Quickly, he did as the Second bade.

" _Please wait there, sir, and I'll handle the gap,"_ His voice quieted down into a muttering as Sephiroth heard more typing. " _Who is the idiot who set this up? Works great for us, but still..."_

More clicking and clattering. Seph looked around the space, noting small details that only supported the lazy characteristic flaw attached to the scientist. Half-hazardly stuffed folders were especially prominent.

" _Caught, sir!_ " Kunsel reported a couple of seconds later. " _Connect me, please._ "

That brought Sephiroth back to the here and now. Quickly, he rushed over to the computer, pulling the external hard-drive from his pocket and plugging it in. It had the remote software on int that Kunsel could used to download the necessary information.

"Please pull any information about myself, Jenova, Project S, Project G, Genesis, Angeal, Lucrecia, or Vincent Valentine."

" _Spell_ ' _Jenova_ '."

"J-E-N-O-V-A," Sephiroth responded.

"' _Lucrecia_ '?"

"L-U-C-R-E-C-I-A, to my knowledge, but it could be an alternate spelling too." That was what the game had said, but (like Aeris vs Aerith) he didn't want to miss out on information with this chance.

" _Right._ _I got it from here,"_ Kunsel said. " _You get out there and play your part."_

The SOLDIER First nodded, despite knowing the younger man couldn't see him, then rushed out into the hallway. He stepped into utter chaos. Scientists ran in all directions, clutching random objects of import to their chests as they did so.

Did they not have protocols? Then again… he couldn't really see Hojo being the kind of person to 'waste time' on something as 'unnecessary' as the lives of his subordinates, even if the protocols were in place.

"Something escaped!" Hollander said to Sephiroth, stomping over to him angrily. "Take care of it!"

The Silver General refrained from rolling his eyes, if barely.

"You need to evacuate," he said.

"What?!" Hollander shrieked.

"Now. Standard alarm protocol. I will be verifying this procedure is followed throughout the lab."

The portly man grit his teeth as he glared up at the SOLDIER First, but eventually he capitulated. "Everyone out! Now!" he yelled. Only a couple of people nearby heard and began to detour towards the entrance.

Sephiroth called Masamune to him and several more people paid attention.

"You will all leave immediately," he said. Somehow, they seemed to find it easier to follow his quieter statement.

Hollander didn't look happy.

"Fix this!" he hissed before he too turned and rushed out. It took several more minutes to get everyone evacuated, Sephiroth 'guarding' their retreat, at which point the SOLDIER first began to search the entirety of the lab in a grid pattern to both follow through on protocol and to give Kunsel usable feed or loop material if needed.

" _Make sure to pause for_ _a_ _couple of seconds_ _when you've hit the blind spot so I can get footage of the empty lab with the alarm lights on_ _,"_ Kunsel said.

Sephiroth nodded and made his way towards a large blind spot they had noted during their half-hour brief and let himself relax for a moment. "How long do I need to stay here?" he asked.

" _Just a moment… and I have_ _what I need_ _! Okay, you can keep going, sir. I'll let you know if you need to head towards another blind spot or if_ _anything_ _else is…"_ Kunsel faded off as Sephiroth resumed his stiff-shouldered act and continued to search the lab in his grid pattern. The feed capture was just a precaution if they needed it. Actual footage would be far less suspect.

Then a soft gasp. _"Sir… I… what is this?"_

The silver-haired man stiffened further, but didn't stop walking. "You read it."

" _Of course I read it!_ " he snapped, then he hurriedly tacked on, " _Sir!_ _But Calamities? Ancients? The Promised Land? I…"_ He faded off again, and then several far more colorful words shot through the ear piece. " _Did… did you know about this… sir?"_ he sounded desperate, pleading – as if his entire world had just been torn down.

Sephiroth swallowed. "No. I suspected, which is why I wanted the information."

Silence. Then, _"This… is the company I work for?_ " Kunsel asked, tone now filled with disgust.

"Do not say," Sephiroth said, deliberately not moving his lips at all as he was currently facing a camera. "I… not yet."

Another long pause. _"Alright, sir. But… I don't know if you_ can _brace yourself for something like this."_

Which was exactly what Sephiroth was afraid of.

He continued to search the room, but of course, there was nothing to find. Eventually, he began inspecting the cages until he came to one that met their needed criteria: it was occupied, the door was out of every camera frame, and he could reliably break the lock. Inside the cage sat a feral beast, a strange hybrid cross between a guard hound and some breed of wolf that would be of absolutely no threat to Sephiroth. He looked at the beast growling and attacking the front of the cage before holding out his ice materia.

"I'm sorry," was all he said before he shot several small ice spells at the creature. In seconds, it was over. Deed done, Sephiroth started pulling on the door, gradually increasing the amount of force used, until the lock finally broke under the strain. Then he immediately made a show of inspecting the surrounding area. Kunsel had pointed out that this area would be best for adding extra frames, if he needed to shift any footage around. After several seconds, he continued in his grid search, just to 'be thorough'.

" _Okay, I think that's everything,"_ Kunsel finally said, sounding subdued. " _Yeah, i_ _t's ready for you whenever,_ _s_ _ir_ _._ "

"Understood," Sephiroth said, making sure to finish his search as calmly as possible. Once he finished, he dismissed Masamune and walked calmly back towards the office. The option to leave his papers in the room itself combined with Hollander's pouting really had been a 'Golden Opportunity', "I'm heading back," he said.

" _Good. Walk inside, pick up the papers and turn to walk out. I'll shift the jump and you can get the hard drive."_

They really had gotten an additional lucky break with Hollander not logging out. The man wasn't just a _lazier_ version of Hojo, but a sloppier one as well.

He calmly walked into the office, picked up the papers and turned to walk out. Just before the door, he stopped.

"Kunsel?"

" _Sorry. The_ _shift_ _is a go. Let me know when you're heading out so I can finish covering my tracks and get out of here._ _S_ _ir."_ He sounded so tired, like he was just done with everything. Sephiroth could empathize.

The SOLDIER first turned and hurried over to the desk. He ejected the external drive and pocketed it before he logged out, hoping Hollander would think it timed out or that he'd actually logged out himself.

"Done," he said. "Heading out."

" _Okay, loop's closed. I'll see you at the meeting point. Kunsel out._ " The earpiece cut off.

Sephiroth didn't nod as he was in full view of the cameras and he could only assume his accomplice would take his calm actions as a confirmation. He walked back out to the lab area and over to one of the consoles where turned off the alarm, using his own authorization codes. A pity said code couldn't get him into the system without being suspicious.

Twenty or so seconds later, Hollander rushed in, followed by his far more hesitant fellow employees.

"Well? Did you take care of it?" he asked.

Sephiroth nodded. "I found the cage with the broken lock. Fortunately for cleanup detail, the specimen was still in the cage. Unfortunately, the lock isn't easily replaceable and the cage could not be secured. It attacked, I took care of it. The notes on the door indicated there was only one specimen in that unit, but I performed a sweep to be sure." He gestured towards the staged area.

This happened often enough that he doubted they'd really look into it. Still, if they did suspect him of anything, he knew how to lie convincingly. That, and they had taken precautions. He supposed it was unfairly balanced in his favor: his target was incompetently lazy, and he had an apparent tech genius on his side.

"And you finished searching everywhere?" Hollander asked.

"Yes," Sephiroth nodded tersely and continued the act. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have another possible escaped specimen to deal with."

Hollander muttered under his breath about cheap equipment. Then he turned around and started issuing orders. Some people immediately got to work, some rolled their eyes and followed what he said, and others ignored him completely.

Sephiroth, who had already spent far too long in the labs, took Hollander's blatant ignoring of him as the dismissal it was and turned to hurry out.

No one stopped him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> xXx
> 
> AN: *End Mission Impossible Music*
> 
> What?
> 
> So, you guys get an extra long chapter for the wait. Hope you enjoyed it! :D
> 
> My Kunsel may or may not have been HEAVILY influenced by Mystic 777's story Escape Plan Green… *ahem* I like competent, almost-Turk Kunsel. It amuses me.
> 
> I'd also like to thank **Imagination7413** for practically co-writing this chapter. Seriously, she put so MUCH work into this guys, thank her! She's incredible!
> 
> Thank you to my Discord server as well. You guys are amazing. :D
> 
> Also, probably won't be a chapter next week, but I'm hoping to have more after that (this chapter was a DOOZY to write, I'll tell you).
> 
> Discord: https://discord.gg/aYgkNWRTrc


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